Wowza -- Lotsa updates!

So I guess I realized the other day that I have seemingly forgotten to update my blog with all of the craziness that has been going on in life for the past month.  It literally feels like every day has been filled with something that turns life upside down or sideways.  I thought that I'd post today and share some updates on what has been going on and some things you might want to check out.

First off, I am excited to say that I am part of the Creative Team at One Story Down.  It is an amazing digi scrap store (also with a hybrid focus) that opened on April 1st.  If you haven't checked it out yet, you really should.  There is a wonderful community of unique designers, team members from all over, and just a great ambiance of friendliness and fun.  Lauren Reid, the amazing owner of OSD, sends out a BEAU-ti-ful newsletter once a week, and there are blog posts every weekday.  I am even fortunate enough to get to write some of those blog posts (insert excited-arms-waving-wildly-huge-smiley face here).  There are a couple of monthly challenges right now (girl vs. scrap and photo challenge) and there will be more coming soon.

As a spin-off from that, I am totally excited to announce that I'm now a member of the Peeps & Milo creative team as well.  Peeps & Milo is brand new and carries an adorable line of digiscrap products that can also be printed/used for real life scrapbook pages/Project Life.  Chantal, the owner/designer of Peeps & Milo has a unique sense of whimsy and fun, and she creates some terrific products.  I feel so lucky to be on her inaugural team!

I'm also lucky enough to be a guest team member for Sara Gleason (Zinnia & Swallowtails) at Plant Your Story.  Wow!  What a month!!!  I've been in love with Sara and her templates forever, so this was like a dream come true!!

Also, in the last month, I attended Artfest 2012 (the final) and had an amazing time learning from Michael deMeng, Andrea Matus (deMeng) and Jesse Reno.  If you ever get a chance to take a class with any of them, I'd highly recommend it.  Michael is a fabulous teacher and a funny guy.  Andrea is *the sweetest* and totally inspiring!  And Jesse is quite a character and amazing to watch.  My life/art will never be the same again.

My DD moved out in the last couple of weeks.  :(  Makes me sad.  But I really haven't had much of a chance to be sad about it because, for one reason or another, they have still been here for the most part.  LOL.  DD has had major overtime at work, so I have had some extra Little Mister duty (yay).  Then Little Mister got sick, and then I got sick, and then DD got sick.  Ugh.  Unfortunately, I missed Conan's first birthday bash because of Kennedy and I being sick.  Wah!  Now DD is back at work doing the overtime again, so it has been kind of a crazy time for her and us.

I also had an amazing opportunity to proof a manuscript before it went to press.  It was great experience, and very interesting as well.  I finally did our taxes (4 hours before the deadline...lol).  I got my thesis stuff for FDU squared away and am waiting for my diploma!

With all of that, I think that I'm not going to add anymore updating because it is just getting way too long.  Instead, I'll leave you with some of the layouts I've done in the past couple of weeks for my new CT gigs and a couple of speed scraps.  :)  If you want to see credits for any, check my gallery.

What have you been up to????

Scrapping Portfolio

Since I mostly do my scrapbooking in digital format, it provides a great opportunity to "hang out" in digital communities and participate in online projects.  One of those ongoing projects is over at Sweet Shoppe Designs.  They have a monthly challenge that is pretty amazing.  They put so much work into it, I can't even imagine what they go through.  Each month, they provide a list of "challenges" for the month.  Each challenge is given a point value.  There are challenges worth one, two, five and ten points.  You can pick from the long list of challenges and strategize to reach your goal for the month.  And what do you get?  You get a discount in their shop based on the goal you reach.  You can earn up to 40% off if you put in enough points.

That was my goal for the month.  I'm now only 3 points away from reaching it.  It is a fun way to build a portfolio of layouts and see all of the different perspectives you can gain throughout the year.  Most months, I never complete enough points to even get the lowest discount, but this month I vowed I was going to complete a portfolio.  :)  Here are some of the layouts I've completed... including a hybrid item where we were challenged to make a dry erase board.  Some of my layouts were in other posts, so I'm not going to re-post those, but here are the rest.

Credits for all of the layouts can be found in my SSD gallery.

Do you have any scrapping goals or other creative projects you participate in regularly?

The Artist’s Creed

Last Saturday, I attended my first meeting with several women artisans.  It was interesting to see how different everyone’s arts/crafts were and the different personalities and approaches to life that everyone carried with them.  Since I was one of the last to leave (and probably overstayed my welcome), I thought it was interesting to find out that some of the women who had been there (and already left) didn’t consider themselves to be artists. I was all shocked until I realized that is something that I struggle with as well. 

I always have that voice in the back of my head that says, “who are you to think that you are creating art?” or “it isn’t art unless someone wants to buy it” or “why do you think that anyone cares about what you are doing?” 

Sometimes that voice comes to me as the voice of a family member or someone familiar I’m imagining who has made a similar remark to me in the past.  Sometimes it is my own voice, backing me into a corner where I am afraid to come out and actually try to create something.  That voice shames me into a place where I would do just about anything (including housework… lol) to avoid actually sitting down to create something. 

The thing that kills me is that if a friend told me that they were feeling that way or hearing that voice, or even someone I didn’t really know had that same voice, I would be all kinds of indignant and raise hell.  I’d emphatically tell them to ignore that voice.  I’d tell them to turn up their favorite music to drown out that voice.  I’d tell them to grab their materials and start creating right away to banish those negative thoughts to the thought basement.  I’d tell them to surround themselves with inspiration and pick out their favorite colors and get down to business.  So why can’t I tell myself?  I don’t know. I guess that is a place where I need to do some soul-searching work.

But, since I am struggling with those thoughts, it seemed very timely that I ran across this video from the Gathering Up Bits of the World blog.  It turns out she found it on iHanna’s blog… and so it goes.  It is worth watching.  And watching again.  And again.  And again… until that voice has no power. 

The Artist’s Creed

Listen.

Crafty

So does anyone else feel the burning desire to get crafty when the first sign of Fall is in the air?  I don't know what it is, but today I've been feeling inspired to paint canvases, make some cards, create noodles from scratch (although I have no clue how to do it), bake cinnamon rolls, and sew something.  Martha Stewart, look out!

Of course I didn't accomplish any of those things because the inspiration hit too late in the day and Little Man was being whiny for most of the afternoon (teething).  He did play in the Johnny Jump Up just long enough for me to get some dishes done and to *act* like I was on top of kitchen patrol.  Now he is in bed, but I am stuck entertaining my BIL (just arrived for the night) while my dear husband is out picking up a late dinner for us.  I need to get some writing done, so I think I'm going to sneak upstairs and do that once he returns from his errand.  I'm not in the mood to sit with two grumpy men.  :p

It is the start of the Labor Day weekend.  I'd like to try to get some things organized over the next couple of days and feel like I have things a little more under control once the quarter really gets into full swing (after next week apparently).  Maybe I'll have Jessica whip me up one of her infamous to-do lists.  She loves when I tell her I have stuff to do because she helps get the list together.  She should really be in management.  She is good about getting the "to-dos" down and insisting that they are done, but not as good at following her own advice.  LOL.

I saw an interesting class I'd love to take from Big Picture Scrapbooking.  It is called Saving Your Sanity: Throughout the Holidays.  I wonder if it can help with more than just scrapbooking and/or memory making?  ;)  My sanity can use a little saving.

OMG.  Tim just returned with our dinner.  I must say, it is amazing.  We called in an order to a Warthog BBQ.  We hadn't been there in years.  I got a pulled pork sandwich, and it is probably the best I've ever had.   Yum yum.  I guess I'd better end this before I get sauce on the keyboard.

Have a great weekend!

Make a Card Monday

Kay Werner does a MACM each week on her blog.  I needed a birthday card for tomorrow, so I decided that I would take a page from her play book and create a card.  I got the idea for this card from Paper Crafts magazine, and just put my own spin on it.  I found the cute patterned paper in my stash, I used a couple of stamps, and then made the felt flower embellishment.  Inside, I stamped "Celebrate you" to finish it off.

Of course now that it is done, I would have done some things differently, but I will save that for next time.  I am inspired to start another creative project of some sort instead.  It is my "day off" (which is really never a full day off), so I need to make the most of the last few hours I have before Tim gets home and expects me to cook dinner or something.  ;) Tonight, the plan is to back up all of my photos and digital scrapbooking goodies onto the external hard drive so it is all safe and sound.  I'm also creating a separate CD with photos of little man  just in case I have a problem with the external hard drive (which has happened several times in the past).  I don't want to lose pictures of that special little one!

Here is a quick peek of him today.  He is so precious.  He looks a little goofy because he's teething and his gums are sore, so he's keeping his tongue moving across the bumpy terrain.  Poor baby!

What are you up to this week?

Confession Tuesday

I have an idea.  It is a project I’m going to run at Speakeasy, and I’m totally excited about it for some reason. 

Probably ten years ago, the Jaycees made a trip to the Hands-On Children’s Museum in Olympia.  We had a blast.  I don’t know who had more fun… the adults or the kids.  Anyway, I have wanted to start a kids’ museum ever since. 

I was thinking about that the other day and thought about doing a major event at Speakeasy where we’d basically put on a kids’ museum for the day.  But then when I was thinking about all of the ideas I had for that, I thought it might be a little bigger than I would be able to do (without help) in the next couple of months, so I pared it back to just one of the elements. 

We are going to put on an archeological adventure day for kids.  They will come into the gallery and receive a passport/adventure book.  Each station will have a stamp to add to their passports. 

• We will have the first station be the picture taking/identification station.  They will get their pictures taken and printed for their passport booklet and have a badge with their names. 
• The next station will be an introductory meeting at “base camp” on Speakeasy Island.  Everyone will introduce themselves and get an itinerary of the day’s events. 
• They will move on to the “map room” where they will be able to color and decorate their maps. 
• Then the group will move ahead to the “fossil station” where they will make bones from clay and fossils with plaster of paris.
• While those items are drying, they will move on to the station where they will hear a story and get more info about digs and other cultures.
• Finally, they will put together their own archeological dig box (a rubbermaid tote with sand/soil) and add a coordinates grid.  someone will then place their bones in the box to be dug up later.  The kit will have a brush for cleaning the items and a notebook for documenting where the items were found.

The Speakeasy artists can help with decorations and being guides for the stations.  We will project dinosaurs onto the walls and have a big volcano.  There will be greenery around and then a canopy tent for base camp.  I’m pricing sand, containers and other components and putting together a project/event proposal. 

I just hope that it will work and that we could actually get some kids to come out and join in the fun.  :)  If so, then I will start working on the bigger plan of the kids’ museum for the day.  Yay!

If you want to help out/volunteer or have any ideas to add on, let me know.  :D 

Add Writing to Your Day

Tonight I’m hosting a poetry workshop at the library… this is part of the material I’ll be sharing:
Add Writing to Your Day (Every Day)

• First you need to commit to writing every day. Don’t wait until next month or next year to make a resolution. Do it now; there is no time like the present. Don’t start out thinking you can sit and write for an hour or two a day. Start small. Set a realistic goal. If you are struggling, start out with even ten minutes a day. It may help to actually put it on your calendar and not let the time get diverted by other activities. Let friends/family know that this is your time. If you ride public transportation, use that time to write. If you need to get out of the house to find peace and quiet, take a walk with a mini recorder. Visit a local coffee shop to grab a cup and write for a few minutes. If you are stuck waiting at a doctor’s office or other appointment, pull out your pen and start writing. You could even use a ten-minute break at work to write. Carry a small notebook, mini journal or index cards with you at all times so you are always ready to write when you have a free block of time.
• It really doesn’t matter what you write as long as you are writing. If you want to write poetry and get stuck, write something else:

House Party Blog Hop

It's My Party and I'll Pout if I want

Happy May Day!  What better way to kick off the month than to start with a party!

Rinda, at (gallorganico.blogspot.com) put together this project, sent out a kit to everyone who wanted to participate, and is the wonderful host for the evening.  Be sure to check out everyone's houses!

Start off by visiting the first... Scrappyjacky.  Click on the link below to begin your house party hop!

My house was kind of thrown together at the last minute.  I looked at it and was going to start last weekend, but then things got crazy (as usual).  I thought I'd have more time during the week, but the schedule was out of control. Jessica started work a week sooner than we'd thought, so I was thrown into action in the evenings and I had other obligations AND my last day of work.  Today, Kennedy was teething and C-R-A-N-K-Y (thus the last minute throw together).  It was fun and I'd like to do it again and take more time.  I think I overdid it with the stamping around the edges, but that's just the way it is going to be for now.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have fun visiting everyone's blogs to see their creative work!

Scrappyjacky; http://scrappyjackylive.blogspot.com
The Maverick Crafter; http://maverickcrafter.blogspot.com
“Life at the Gables”; http://lizlee-liz.blogspot.com
Everyday Life of a Suburban SAHM; http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com
Squirrelyart; http://squirrelyart.blogspot.com
Lizzie made; http://lizziemade.blogspot.com/

High in the Sky; http://fromhighinthesky.blogspot.com/

I Speak Melsh; http://ispeakmelsh.blogspot.com

Deb's World; http://debs14.blogspot.com

Paper Turtle; http://paperturtle.blogspot.com

Random Reflections; http://kbwalker.blogspot.com

Nights Dream; http://blodwyn3snightsdream.blogspot.com
Living Artfully; http://sharyncarlson.typepad.com/livingartfully

JuJu's Folly; http://jujusfolly.blogspot.com/

Hootings of an Owl; http://emhowl.blogspot.com/

Over at Our Place; http://overatourplace.blogspot.com/

Den's Crafty Diary; http://deecie.blogspot.com/
http://gallorganico.blogspot.com

Bad Medicine

I am tired of having a back “injury.”  I say “injury” because I’m not really sure what happened to it in the first place.  All I know is I was fine one minute, and the next minute, I felt like I had a sore back, and it progressively got worse until I ended up in urgent care: crying, shaking and struggling to climb off the x-ray table.  I had “compression issues” and a “severe pelvic tilt” which meant that one leg was over an inch shorter than the other.  Fun times. 

No work.  Off to PT, Chiropractor, back to the doc, on muscle relaxers, ibuprofen and ice packs.  They gave me vicodin (the cure-all for the medical profession these days) but it does nothing for me, so I skipped it.  Now I’m on the  last work day at home before the weekend and the eventual return to work on Monday.  I’m kinda scared to return to work because I know my problem is not resolved, and I don’t want it to get back to the way it was before.  It has improved, but last night I was in tears from pain, and cranky from the steroids that they made me start taking on Wednesday.  They cause sleeplessness and irritability… just what someone needs when they are in pain. 

I’ve been doing some painting today, hoping that the creative therapy will stall the pain and make me feel better.  So far it is better than yesterday, so that is good.  I’m working on three paintings now.  I am finishing one that I started quite some time ago, re-doing one I wasn’t even close to finishing before, and laying the background for another that I’ve had in mind for awhile.  All in all, I’m realizing that I have a definite color palette that crosses all of my stuff lately.  Maybe that will be my signature?  Probably not a good idea.  Maybe I will just finish these and get the colors out of my system. 

Here’s a little mini scrapbook/art journal layout I threw together this afternoon.  Kind of gives the feeling of the day. 

The elements are all from Fiddlette Designs at Scrapbookgraphics.com. 

Weekend Forecast: Raining Creativity?

C’mon, you know that there is some project you have been thinking about… some little artsy thing that you’d like to tackle. Maybe it is an around-the-house project like painting the bathroom or putting up a new set of curtains in the living room.  Maybe it is sitting down to write a chapter (or outline) for your novel.  Maybe it is a poem?  Splashing some paint onto a canvas?  Sculpting?  Sketching?  Taking a new picture?  Jotting notes to a future song?  Collage?  Sewing? Designing your summer garden?

It is the last weekend in February.  We’re already at the two-months-invested-in-2010 mark, and if you haven’t done it already, you need to get started now! 

Take the challenge.  What will you do this weekend that will make a difference in your creative life? 

Going to the Happy Place

Lately, when I’m frustrated, I can pick up an art book and whatever is bothering me sort of fades into the background.  No, it doesn’t mean that life is perfect, but for a moment, it is better.  Inspiration replaces frustration. 

There are many studies out that show you can only truly give energy to one thought at a time.  If you are thinking or focused on something negative, that is the energy that is flowing in you.  If you focus on something positive or something that soothes you, it really will help.  I have found this to be true. 

My current source of inspiration… Creative Awakenings by Shari Gaynor.  Its pages are filled with eye candy.  I am taking it to work with me today so I can flip through during my break and give myself a creative/inspirational jolt.  I haven't really started reading or playing with it yet, but that is in the works.  :)

I am really having a hard time with my job lately.  I don’t know what it is.  If it is the time of the year or just impatience, but I was off sick last week and never wanted to go back.  Each day is a struggle.  I’m at the two and a half year mark of being here, and I’m oh-so-feeling it.  I need to keep focusing on that happy place and have patience.  By this time next year, I will have basically almost completely finished my MFA.  *sigh*  Patience is not my strong suit.  Until then…

Out Sick

I missed work today.  All week, I’ve been feeling a little off, but I just couldn’t make it in today.  My stomach was not happy.  This morning, it was so nice to be able to sleep in and get rested.  I woke up a couple of times: when Tim got up and before he left.  But I couldn’t stay awake, so I slept until 9:30 when Jessica brought me a bagel that I didn’t eat and a Mt. Dew that I loved.  She also brought me an adorable get-well-soon card.  What a sweet girl. 

There is something so comforting about staying in PJs all day.  :)  We watched most of Dead Poet’s Society and sorted through some craft supplies.  This afternoon, I had a little lunch and felt a bit better.  Since I was bundled up in the office, I flipped through some Paper Crafts magazines I hadn’t had time to look through in the past few months.  I was inspired to make a card.  I was supposed to make a card for Shannon, but I didn’t have the energy to find the paper/stamp I was supposed to use, so I just stuck with what was handy.   

I’m not excited about how the bow turned out, but I’ll live with it.  When I’m feeling better, I’m going to head over to Michael’s or Borders to get the latest card magazine to be further inspired.  I should get some Christmas cards ready for this year since I haven’t done any in quite some time.

Jessica has been creating some fabulous cards lately.  I’m envying her creative spurt!  I guess I’ll have to kick it up a notch to try to keep up with her. 

Confession Tuesday

Confession #1. I really really want to be a stay-at-home mom. Yes, I know that defies logic seeing as how my child is now going to be having her own child. Maybe it is because I just turned 40 and I’m suffering a mid-life crisis, but if I’m really good, can’t I just stay at home and be a grandma? And study hard for school? And create art while the perfect grandchild sleeps? And cook nutritious meals for the family? And sometimes take the doggies for a walk? And occasionally check in during the day on my in-laws? I think that sounds like a good role. One that I could heartily embrace. Unfortunately, I do not think it is in the cards for me now. Bah!

Confession #2. I am a joiner. I get excited and I sign up for things. Later, when I have my wits about me, I wonder if I took on too much by whatever it is that I signed up for, but I don’t really care. That is the second part of confession number 2. I love it. I love being energized by new ideas or creative projects. I can’t help myself.

Confession #3. I enrolled in Shimelle’s Blogging for Scrapbookers class. I was entranced by the description of the class, and I realized that I do need to start recording more memories (on a regular basis). I’d like to learn a few things, and maybe end up feeling like my blog could be a productive place.

Confession #4. I love my husband.

Confession #5. I don’t think I let him know that enough. I need to work on that now and in the future.

Confession #6. I love thinking that maybe I can tie all of the things above into one giant opportunity. Hmmmm. We’ll have to see about that.

More later.

Art junkie

I'm forever lured in by art. Not all art, but a good majority of it. I've subscribed to the Tacoma Arts list serv, and every once in awhile a cool project comes along that really gets me re-energized about art.

The new project I'm jazzed over is to create an art door for an auction. The auction is for Tacoma Art Place, which is an amazingly cool organization. I've taken a class there, and hope to sign up for a membership soon. They have a lot of interesting classes offered, and once you are a member, you can go in and use their space, use the kiln, etc. Anyway, they need money, like everyone does, so they are holding an auction and selling off art doors. The cool thing is that the only rule is... there are no rules! That kind of freaks me out because even though I'm not the most structured person, I do like the idea of some guidelines. But I guess I will just go with the flow and see what happens.

After I decided I'd jump in and try it, I thought it would be a brilliant thing for Matt to do. My brother is a tile setter extrordinaire. Unfortunately, he doesn't go out and sing his own praises or market himself much, and work is really slow right now. I thought it would be a great idea for him to get a door and do some sort of a mosaic on it. I know it would be amazing. Not to mention, the creator gets half of the funds.

I picked us up a couple of doors this week. They are old and heavy and not the easiest to work with, but I think we can each come up with something cool. I'm starting to formulate an idea for mine now. I think I'm going to create a storyboard type of thing (of course I would). But since I don't have Matt's mad drawing skills, I will have to come up with some sort of collage-y goodness to complete it. That's okay though because I have the idea... now it is just a matter of getting it to come to fruition.

The other good thing about this project is that it will give Matt and I a chance to bond. We don't have all that much in common, and we both have busy lives, so we don't get to spend much time together. This isn't going to provide time together, but at least we can text back and forth and send pictures of our progress. Should be fun.

My door is big and heavy and dark brown right now. I'm going to see about scraping some of the paint off it so I can start fresh.

I'm excited to get started! :)

Quiet Time

I am on the verge. On the verge of what? I am not quite sure. All this week, I thought that it was going to be a nervous breakdown or a dismembered tongue (from biting through it) because I was trying to hold it together at work. Is the universe telling me to get out of my current job? I think so. Maybe I will listen.  It is just a whisper, and I'm straining to hear it.  But it is there. 

This weekend, I'm excited and looking forward to some quiet time. If Jessica reads this, she will undoubtedly throw a fit because I am a wee bit happy over this alone time, but she will understand in the not-too-distant future when she has her own child and has no free time. Tim is going to visit the kids over in Walla Walla.  I can't go because there is no one to watch the dogs and if we took them along, I'd just be stuck inside a hotel room with them anyway.  Jessica is going down to Oregon to baby-sit her five cousins (she's so crazy!), and I will be basking in the relative quiet of the house. I'm sure Kate & Bobby will keep me distracted, and there will be barking because of the Fair traffic down our street, but I won't *have to* do anything I don't want to do. Joy.

Tonight, is dinner with Eileen, and then I may hit Target for the necessities. Tomorrow, I plan to sleep in (YES!) and do everything in my power to refrain from cooking/cleaning. I'm going to work on writing and then tackle schoolwork.  I might take a nap with the dogs. At some point, I am going to whip out my Pottery Barn book of style/design and try to configure the pictures we need to hang on our office wall. I need to create a big ol' collage and throw my big black G up there.  The book I have gives lots o' ideas and I've got the laser level and am ready to try it. I also picked up a template at Michael's for like $1.99, but it seems that it may be more trouble than it is worth trying to use that. I don't know. We shall see.  But this weekend is all about me.  I never say that… and I never get to say that… but today I am saying it. 

Fall crispness is in the air, and for some reason, when that hits me, I get in the mood to write. I just read a blog post talking about how it is hard to write when it is sunny in the PNW. I never really consciously thought of it that way, but I think she's onto something there.  To me, Fall is all about back to school and time to get serious about getting things done.  I'm most productive in the fall.  Weird.  Hopefully that will be the case with my technical craft & form paper and also in getting some of my creative stuff taken care of.  I need to come up with a batch of new material for the upcoming module.  Eek!

Hopefully I will have accomplished everything I need to accomplish and can feel rested and ready for the week ahead. 

Shhhhhh…