I finally created another scrapbook page!

Well, its been a long long time since I actually created a scrapbook page. I had a goal last year...yes, LAST year that I was going to create a scrapbook page every week for the entire year and that way there I would have 52 pages at the end of the year. Yah, right.....that didn't happen....I created the first week of 2011 and then it stopped. ...along with a lot of my creativity!
This scrapbook page is my first one that I put together in over a year. The photo is my Mama as a young girl. How cute was she? My new favorite "thing" is butterflies so I put some 3-D butterflies along with some grunge board colored in Distress Inks and Perfect Pearls Mist. A little twine and a bright yellow "Mom" embellishment finished the page off.
It is certainly a different style from what I was creating before...but sometimes change is a good thing, right?

Rock Art for my Mama

I knew that with the first anniversary of my Mama's passing approaching I wanted to do something special for her. After all, she was a pretty spectacular Mama. I miss her more with each passing day and there are times when I just wish I could close my eyes and open them to have her standing right in front of me. I miss having cups of tea with her. I miss her daily phone calls. I miss her always making sure I was home safe and sound, and whether the doors were locked and the stove is off. She always worried about everybody else but herself. When she would get mad at me she would call me "Darlene Ann"....and because her middle name is Theresa I would always call her "Mother Theresa".
This project is for you Mama.

The height of the rock is approximately 12"

I wanted to be able to take a rock and transform it into something nicer than "a rock" to place at her grave site. I had somewhat of a "vision" in my head and once I got started it came together quite quickly. I painted the flat rock white on the front (I wanted to keep the rock look on the back). I painted some vines and hearts along with the words "Mama Always in my heart" and signed it with my name along with Tuesdays date. Tuesday being Valentines Day, the day that Mama passed away last year.
I love you Mama....always in my heart!

The doodling version next to the completed project

The entire rock is sprayed with a sealer to protect it from the outdoor elements.

Just a winters day at the beach

My Shadow

 Everyone needs a little time away from the craft table, don't they? As much as I love to craft, I also love photography. On this particular day my husband and I went driving around and I had my camera in tow. Its not too often I don't hoard it around with me. It was cold outside but it was a perfect day to clear my head and just take some pictures.

Driftwood

 We are very fortunate to be able to jump in our car and drive a few minutes to get to the beach. Anybody who is fortunate enough to live near the ocean really should take advantage of it and experience it in the middle of the winter as well as any other season. Who cares if you can't take your bathing suit and tanning lotion with you...bundle up warm and throw a scarf and mittens (fingerless ones so you can still take pictures!) on and go explore! The world is ours to discover!

My husband combing the banks

Just a glorious picture of the sun beating down on the beach

Wild Mussel shell

Upcoming Card Class

I think this little girl Marci is so cute, I just had to create a class around her. I can't wait to instruct this class...I think it will be so fun! I have used the same stamp in all three cards and have colored her with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and cut and dry tips. I used beautiful watercolor paper for all the images and cut some out, popped some up...basically, just had fun with them. This is going to be a fun class and I am looking forward to it.

Hello

Isn't she precious? I borrowed "a few" stamps from Sherry last week. They were mostly of this little girl but doing various poses. I stamped a bunch of different images and had a morning of coloring her in different outfits. This particular one I wanted to make sunny and cheery. She is colored in my trusty Copic Markers but now that I am experimenting with Distress Inks I am quite liking the coloring effects you can create on watercolor paper (but that I will show you on another day!).

There is really not much to this card with the exception of some scrap paper  (I dug deep into the scrap bin for that yellow piece with the white dots and the pink flowers. That has to be one of my favorite pattern papers and I am a complete loss for the supplier or name of the line. If you know it, please let me know so I can try and get more!

The black words are actually a transparency that I laid over the patterned paper. She is then matted on a few colors and a little black Enamel Accents make some quick "pearls" along the page. The sentiment is one from a Hero Arts collection and it is matted on pink paper and popped off the page with a few pop up dots. I don't know what her name is...but she is some darn cute!

Oh Marci, Marci, Marci!

I seriously think I am going to put this card in an envelope and put MY address on the card and send it to myself. I am loving how this card turned out...
...Introducing my new little friend, Marci. Marci is a new rubber stamp at SHABBY SHUTTERS from a product line called "lalalandcrafts" and I think she is just adorable. I was a little intimidated to color her at first but eventually the Copics took over and little Marci ended up in a little yellow and purple dress. Go Marci! I had a fence stamp sitting in my stash so decided to mask Marci and make her sit on the fence (good thinking Sherry!!). I wanted to use my Spellbinders Nestabilities to cut Marci out but upon further revelation I discovered she did not fit in the damn template...ok, move on to plan #2. I had never cut out an image on the Nestibilities where part of the image was sticking out of the template. If there was a time it had to work for me, it was NOW! The image was already colored and if I ruined her and cut half her head off you would have heard some "no so nice" words come out of my craft room....
....insert exacto knife here...
It worked! I was so pleased with myself. Pat on the back to Darly! Ok...moving on....
I decided to put some pop up dots behind her head and her balloon. Oh yes, Marci only carries ONE balloon originally. I decided to stamp another few balloons on scrap paper and add another balloon (one is such a lonely number) The balloon on the left side is added and stamped by using Alcohol Inks. I used a little black marker and drew in her string from the second balloon.
I added the sentiment "Just for you" as the inside of the card has a little pocket that holds a gift card. A few black (fake) pearls with some Enamel Accents and a little purple twine pretty much completes the card. Oh Marci, Marci, Marci...what color will I make you wear next?
Here is a close up of the core of the card...

Quick card

This was such a quick card to put together and the inspiration hit me out of nowhere! I was in the middle of working on getting my card kits put together for tomorrows class and came across this piece of patterned paper that I recently bought. Boom! Grabbed a piece of pink, purple and grey cardstock and a simple sentiment and voila! I thought it needed a simple "pop" afterwards so I punched out 3 circles off the patterned paper and popped them off the page with a pop dot. A simple "Hope you have a special day" and the card was done...all in about 5 minutes. Gotta like when inspiration hits you like that.
(and this purple cardstock that I used to make the base of the card....I am not sure where I bought it but the weight of the paper is perfect for cardmaking....love the heaviness of it!!)
So...lets see what you can do in 5 minutes and some extra pretty paper!