Julies Blogoversary Blog Hop

Welcome welcome!!!

How exciting! So happy to be a part of ....

I can't believe it's been a year already!

Well first things first...

here is the list of bloggers joining us,
just in case you get lost or just happen to stumble across my 

(very unused and sadly neglected ) blog.

Julie - http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com/

Amy Hurley-Purdie - http://amyhurley.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Brenda - http://centralnyscrapper.blogspot.com/2015/03/julies-3rd-blogoversary-celebrating.html

Paula - http://scrapaddictsattic.blogspot.com/

Kary - http://karyg.blogspot.com.au/

Ruth - http://ruthscraftyplace.blogspot.com

Miwa - http://miwannascrap.blogspot.com/

Karen -  http://www.kernowdesigns.co.uk/blogoversary-blog-hop/

Chris- http://thriftysisters-chris.blogspot.com/       

Regina   http://reginaeaster.blogspot.com/

Kathy - http://www.upinthenightwithkat.blogspot.com/

Donna K 

Gwen -  http://windchimesandlilacs.blogspot.com/

Ema - http://ema-gination.blogspot.com

Polly - http://pazasproductions.blogspot.com/

Lucy -  http://littlescrapsoflucy.blogspot.com/2015/03/come-celebrate-julies-3rd-blogoversary.html

Beth - http://nursiebethsbeauties.blogspot.com

Corrie - http://corriescrafts.blogspot.com/

Maria - http://riacreations.blogspot.com

Karen - http://karey2005.blogspot.com/2015/03/julies-blogoversary-hop.html

That's a lot of ladies! I can't wait to hop!

I know that some of the ladies are offering prizes so be sure to read through their whole post and do what needs to be done...

I'll admit..sometimes,i just look at the pretty things,so without further ado....

This is a small canvas that I sprayed with Delusions inks,covered in toilet paper and white paint. 

I made the branch with rolled up TP and the leaves are UmWoW Chipboard covered in paper.

The little owl stamps,I received from a friend(wish I could remember who)

 and then I scattered beads here and there.

Now...I make these things as we all do and 
I have no idea what to do with them after so..

here is an idea for you.

Art Abandonment.

Here is the link to the FB page,

ArtAbandonment

I plan to abandon this little fella sometime soon.

Off you go now,see what other beautiful creations await you...
Regina   http://reginaeaster.blogspot.com/

352 ways to say..I love you..

Welcome to the blog hop...
If you just stumbled onto it head back here and check out my friend Corries blog.

I started a project back in January ..

I think..

Everyday write down a little message to my husband.

Why I love you,what I appreciate about you..etc etc..

Well it was going well until one thing led to another and..

I couldn't finish my June book.

My FIL passed and life went downhill around here..fast.

My husband left in June and my scrapbooking things..

they started collecting dust.

July was a dreary month but 

the sun came out to play again.

I decided that no matter what..I was going to finish my project.

It wasn't going to be 352 days but I think I can let that one slide.

I picked up my pen and began again.

 I started a few times in July,

have three little books that I started and couldn't finish..

simply depending on the day...

But I did it.

I finished July and I did August too.

I am currently working on September

You see,I didn't stop loving him. 

Ever. 

I needed to finish this for him,

for me.

And I feel good about it. 

I can't say what the future holds but I know at the end of this year he will have 10 little books that he can look through and remember,

I love him.

I was supposed to save them up and give them as a Christmas present but if you know me.

.I'm impatient.

 I finished them each month and left them for him to find.

Here are just a few of them for you...

Julies Blogoversary Blog Hop

If you just stopped by for a visit head on over to  
Julies
 Blog and join us on our blog hop of friendship.
If you came for the hop then keep on reading....

Well my friends this has been an exceptionally hard year for me. 

So many things have happened and it has rocked my world. 

Not in  a good way either.

So when my internet friend and fellow CCer Julie Odil posted about doing her blogoversary hop again I knew it was time to get out of my funk and get back to crafting.

What a better way to do so than to celebrate friendship.

If it wasn't for the support of my BFF and my four legged furry friends that just seem to know when I needed a cuddle...

I think I would have wandered out into the forest and joined a merry band of gypsies....

but alas since we don't have any of those..I stayed put and took a big breath..and carried on with life.

So today we celebrate our friends. 

The ones that we have had our whole lives,just parts of our lives...the ones we have never met but reach out to us through emails and facebook chats..online forums and chat groups to the four legged ones that can be so moody yet seem to know exactly when we need some love.

We all need friends to lift us up,to laugh with,cry with,get crazy with or to just be there when we need them.

Thank you to all my friends far and wide. 

I hope this year is the best year of your lives and I  love each and every one of you.

 I received a smash book from an online friend a while back and I never really understood what to do with it since I am a more organized scrapper and messy stuff can drive me nuts but I decided to pull it out along with my markers and play while watching The Walking Dead.

(oh ya baby!)

So this is what I came up with while playing..I love this quote because I am lucky enough to have a friend like this.

It's ok..just having fun colouring really so I thought I would TRY to do an actual page...

This is the baby of our cat family.
We were told a few years ago that he had feline leukemia and were advised to have him put down.

Well after crying for a week I chose to treat his fever and let him live as long as possible.

I think it's been 4 years now and he hasn't been sick since.
 I am so glad I listened to my inner voice.
 He really is the best cuddler and knows just when I need him.

 And of course like a good friend..he was helping me take my pictures..making sure I got his good side...

Another online friend encouraged me this year to get crafting again. She told me I needed to join the next ATC group so I took a deep breath and said..ok.

Here is a sneak peek of my ATC's I sent out this week ..

I really had fun with these.

 Be sure to keep hopping,there are prizes along the way and many great friendship stories and projects to share! 

Your next stop is

Regina

Cocoa Creators Challenge #2

This week is DeeDee's week.

She has provided us with an amazing sketch for this weeks challenege.

She is also hosting a challenge on UmWow Studios blog.

Check out the details here UmWow Studios

Now for Cocoa Creations's challenge.

Here is the sketch provided by UmWow Studios

I did a layout and a card.

 I took this sketch quite literally.I tried using some Dylusions inks but that failed.
Here I used white paint
( still haven't figured out how DeeDee dribbles her paint)
UmWow studios layered clouds,take note arrow,misc arrows and a little hexagon.
I used Everyday Eclectic paper and some new washi I bought.

It was my DD's first day of school and last first day of school at ZPS...sniff.

Here I used some more arrows from UmWow Studios
(I'm all out now..time to reorder..)
A couple VLVS stamps.
Liveloud stamp from CC
more Washi from...umm..Peachy cheap I think.
The card base is from Stella and Rose card set.


Thanks for stopping by!

They're Back Baby!!

So with the retail side of CC closing we were all wondering what was goingto happen to the rest of the site.

Well the current design Team got together and decided to restart the weekly challenges.

YAY!!

Thanks to Jon and Amber we are currently running on the same site the same way we all love!!

So each of us have signed up for a week to offer the challenge and the winnings!

This is my week to offer up a little goody package.

This past week my husband celebrated his birthday and I thought it would be a great challenge to make a birthday related project.

There are already some great projects!

Here is my birthday card.

I used Well Travelled 6x6 pad

Christmas Day CS 

UmWow Studios Hexagons

I love this paper and hexagons seem to be my new favourite shape!

Be sure to head over to CropChocolate and join in the fun!

Farewell my Friend

Well today is the last day that Cropchocolate will be selling product.

Very sad day indeed.

We all love this family and will continue to support Jon and McCall anyway we can!

That also means my time on the design team has come to an end.I was really looking forward to seeing what the next team could cookup for us.

Our last theme was Family.

How appropriate.

All the ladies I have shared this great adventure with have truly become extended family for me.

I wanted to show a project that would help to remind me of these great ladies everyday.

I came up with a canvas that I think you might like.

 I covered my canvas with wrinkly paper and used ink to highlight the wrinkles.

 I printed out maps of the US and Canada and the cut pieces for each state and province.America,you have a lot of tiny states.

I next made flags with everyone on the DT's names and hometowns. 

 

 The heart is for CC and Amber.I used some of UmWow Studios arrows to point the way.

I used up a bunch of my 6x6 paper pads for this project.I tried to make sure that every single state and province was  a different paper.

I have this hanging on my wall as a reminder of a wonderful group of ladies I will likely never get to meet but I can call them

Family

National Scrapbook Day!!!

So as you all know..or should know..Saturday was NSD

.

Over on Cropchocolate it is a bittersweet week for us.

We are celebrating NSD all week long !!Yay!!

Yet we are losing the retail portion of Cropchocolate..boo.

What does that mean?Well Jon will be letting us know exactly whats going to happen but basically,they just won't be selling product anymore.

The rest of the site and the blog will continue.

It is a great big family over there and as sad as we are for losing the best deals in the world!!

At least we still have the site to chitchat and share.

All week long the Design Team has offered up some challenges for us.

There are prizes along the way and lots of great projects to see.

           I have most of the challenges complete,check back to see if I get them all done!

NSD 2013 Challenge #8: The Scrap & New Sketch Challenge

 

I used fine and dandy paper
UmWow Studios chipboard frame
some glossy accents
The rubber cafe butterfly stamp

NSD 2013 Challenge #7: This is the card that never ends...

                                                                Paradise Beach CS
                                                                  Beach Babe CS
                                                                  VLVS stamps
                                                             Magnetic stamp kit
                                                                    TH Inks  

 

NSD 2013 Challenge #6: Crafting is the window to our souls.

 

 

 Christmas time CS 

Tim Holtz distress Inks 

VLVS stamps 

Random stamps 

button/burlap 

NSD 2013 Challenge #5: Bling, Bling, Bling!

 

 

 Fine and Dandy CS

 Believe and arrow stamps 

watercolour pencils 

MM butterfly 

 Rhinestones and Perfect Pearls mist 

Tim Holtz Distress ink

NSD 2013 Challenge #4: Bugs

 

 

card and envelope springtime paper 

bug stamps and flower stamps

Tim Holtz distress stain

 

NSD 2013 Challenge #3: Buttons & Bows

 

 
                                                          Mini Album for Fathers Day
                                                                  It's Your Day CS
                                                WAshi tape,buttons,twine,ribbon.
                                                             TH distress ink
                                                              Father and Son CS

 

 

NSD 2013 Challenge #2: Tic Tac Toe

I used ribbon heart and punch

 

Dylusions Inks

Magnetic stamps

Happy Go Lucky Rubons

Fibers

SU heart punch

 

NSD 2013 Challenge #1: Homage to Summer

 

 Christmas Time CS

 Lime Twist balloon frames 

UmWow Studios cloud w/zing embossing powder

 Jillibean Twine 

Remarks phrases 

Pink is coloured with my Spectrum markers 

Stay tuned to see the rest and the winners from a 

few weeks back...

Art Journal Blog Hop

Oh my goodness! I m so excited to be a part of this hop.

I still am not sure what an art journal is but I gave it my best effort!!

I hope you enjoy it!
You should have come from Julies blog
 http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com

I started this page one day with no clear idea of what to do but I knew I wanted blue all over.

The next day I got the news my cousin had taken his own life.

I wasn't sure how to feel about this,he battled a drug addiction for most of his 45 years and burned a lot of bridges.

I  tried not to think I just grabbed some stuff and created.

I think this page sums up how I feel.

Sad  for such a loss.

Years of bitterness and desperation now all left to one feeling of sadness for a life lost.

A life wasted.

Two weeks later with the sun shining on my feet,I felt much happier.

I guess for some people an art journal is an expression of their talent.I think for me,it's going to be about the emotions I feel.

Whether that is sadness,confusion and despair or happiness,love and renewal.

I love Spring,it represents a chance to start over,to grow,to appreciate beauty once again after a long bleak winter.

Hope you have fun on your journey today.I am sure you will see some amazing projects on your way.

Your next stop is... Tameko Mays 

Raindrops

As you can see I used one of DeeDee's chipboard clouds. You can find DeeDee's stuff at UmWow Studio

UmWow ChipBoard

If you haven't already PLEASE check out my friend DeeDee's new business adventure.

UmWow Studios.

Her and her hubby are making chipboard embellishments and theyare to DIE for!

I am just an idiot whe it comes to figuring out how to use them...no really I am.I can't count how many times I have tried to use them and not been happy with the results.

It's strange because when I look at her stuff it makes me giddy inside and I just HAVE to have some...wierd I know.

So here is a little tag I came up with after a little trial and error.

Can't wait to get my mojo back and create again.I have another box of stuff coming!

winners!

OK so there were so many people to be inspired by

Every month there are amazing projects!

 ....here are a the links to the projects that inspired me.

http://blog.cropchocolate.com/2013/01/cracked-glass-by-clayton528-kathy.html

My little jar has cracked glass on it.

http://blog.cropchocolate.com/2013/01/altered-mouse-traps-by-by-belle-michele.html
I was inspired to use glue on this project.

http://blog.cropchocolate.com/2012/12/40-and-fabulous-by-mom2two-jenni.html

I was inspired by the beautiful papers in this collection

http://blog.cropchocolate.com/2012/07/butterfly-home-decor-project-by-miwa.html
I have had these butterflies for ages so thanks for the inspiration!

Looking back through all the DT projects I can see that there were plenty more places for inspiration.These ladies are so talented!!

Since no one got three out of four..you all get a chance to win..as long as you tried!
The winner is...

by belleApril 23, 2013 at 9:06 PM

OK, I guess Kàthy, Nina, Jasmine and me ;). I love this project Chris!! GREAT upcycling!!

Pm me and I will send you your goodies..if you hurry I'll do it today!

Grandmas Quilt Project

First off,my grandma never made a quilt.

She didn't sew or knit but she did live beside a golf course.

What?
(That's what you just thought to yourself)
 does a golf course have to do with grandma?

Well as a kid I remember walking through the fields collecting golf balls.

We'd give them to my aunt who would sit and peel them.Ever seen the inside of a golf ball?

It's not that exciting.

When I saw this next piece at the secondhand store,I knew I had my project plus it reminded me of a patch work quilt.

I have been wanting to do a shelf or something for my DD to hold her nail polishes and I thought this would work quite well.

I saw a tutorial on using Almers glue to create dimension to a project so i decided to try it out.

First I stamped an image and then ran a bead of glue around the image.I added a resin flower to the center and waited for it to dry.

Next I layered my paints and sanded each back a bit.Last I distressed it with ink.

After cutting all my papers to fit and adding a bit of embellishing,it was ready to go!

I used a little inspiration from a few fellow DT members.

Can you guess which ones?
I will put everyone's name in a hat to win a prize if you get 3 out of the 4 I was inspired by.

Good luck!!
ETA:For those of you that don't know where to look check out The Crop and see if you can guess who I was inspired by