merry christmas!!!

...and my best wishes to you all, my friends!!!

christmas journal: day 3

Last weekend I could make a couple pages but the best was that I made my album cover. I took an old cardboard binder and covered the outside with red binding fabric, and the inside with a K&company green paper. Then I put a piece of red felt with some embellisments on the front cover. Finally I made the title with some silver letters from Heidi Swapp. Now I can keep my pages in it and I´m punching holes and adding as well some drawings that my daughter makes while I´m scrapping. Here is my third page, too. The little cards can be opened and keep little "secrets" inside...

christmas journal: day 2

Papers: BasicGrey, K&Company, Anna Griffin; glittered letter stickers: Making Memories; stickers: 7gypsies, Love Elsie; rub-ons: Love Elsie; chipboard: FancyPants.
TFL!
My second page. I´ve decided not to number the pages so far and I´ve put a tab in which probably I´ll put the numbers or dates later. I´ve covered the back side with a photo of an advert that I cut from a home decoration magazine and put a paper strip for covering the advertirser words and maybe I will put something more.
The same way my Christmas supplies box is open, I´ll leave my pages open to add more things, photos or words if necessary...

The back side. Paper: Amy Buttler (K&Company).

shimelle´s christmas journal: day one

Cardstock: Bazzill; Paper: Scrapworks; letters: American Crafts thickers; stamps: CastlifePress, Aladine; rub-on: Love,Elsie; words stripe: 7gypsies; others: ribbons.

TFL!

Ok, this is my first journal entry for Shimelle´s class "Christmas Journal". I missed my first 2 prompts as I was out during the weekend, so now I´m a bit behind...but I´m not going to worry or stress myself. I will do it with some days of delay if necessary and if I can get up to date...so much the better!

Finally I´m going to use different sizes in my journal which I will bind at the end, probably in a ring binder. For this first page I´ve used a piece of chipboard in 7x9", then covered with paper both sides, on the front side I´ve taken Shimelle´s words and I´ve reserved the back side to put some other "private" thoughts.

I´m not very proud of this first page, but I don´t mind, I hope it will be better day by day, I rather think some days will be better than others, sure!

"journal your christmas"

Finally, I decided to sign up for Shimelle´s class on line: Journal your Christmas. It sounded so funny...

And my first step: gathering Christmas stuff. Apart of some papers and embellishments that I´ve shopped for the occasion, I searched through my stash all kind of papers in green, red, pink and light blue that could fit. Then I´ve added a bunch of scraps and more papers and some chipboard elements and lots of ribbons that I already had. I keep all that in a box, but I´ll have my box "open" just in case I want to add more things. Besides I will have on hand all my basic tools, and inks and stamps. I think I´ll have stuff enough to play with, but one never knows...Now, ready for my next step!

Ah! And if you wish to have a look here and here... being in the slide show of favorites at One Little Word is a very big honour for me. I´m so so very happy...THANK YOU!

OLW #14: full

8,5x11 layout. Patterned papers: 7gypsies, AutummLeaves; journaling tags: ScenicRoute; chipboard letters: BasicGrey; others: buttons, brads, flowers and felt embellishments (some of these are home made).
TFL!

Another challenge from One Little Word, this time using the¨ word "full". Here is my layout, a very simple one although full of color, the photo is not very good but as I still have my printer a bit broken (this could be applied to the scanner as well, which is the same) I have to manage with what I have on hand. Thanks God that Christmas will come soon!

good news!!

After being ill for more than a week...i´ve got good news!
Hey! I´ve been invited to be a new member of 1WorldScrap Design Team . I´m so excited...This is really a big challenge that encourages me to continue experimenting and making stuff and sharing it. I hope to do my best!
(The photo is a peek of the album covers for a project that I´d want to prepare for Christmas. Just cardboard painted with red and gold acrylics, work in project...)

OLW 13# Challenge: DELIGHT

Patterned papers: BasicGrey, 7gypsies; overlay: Hambly; rubons: FancyPants, Chatterbox; letter stickers: American Crafts, BasicGrey, KI Memories; journaling stickers: ScenicRoute, Love Elsie; words strip: ScenicRoute; felt embellishments are home made.
TFL!

Here is my take on OLW #13 challenge using the word "delight". I don´t know why the letters in the title has been scanned like pink when they´re red indeed... that´s scanning! It happens to me lately (as with the last word "believe") that I have more than one idea with the word and one single layout doesn´t seem to be enough. Thus I made a minibook with "believe", but couldn´t finish it in time so now I´ve preferred to make a single page but get it finished!
TFL!

OLW#12: i believe...

Papers: Hambly, ScenicRoute, 7gypsies, FancyPants; rubons & overlays: Hambly; stickers: 7 gypsies, SEI; letter stickers: Thickers American Crafts; chipboard elements: ScenicRoute, CherryArte; inks: Distress Ranger, VersaMagic; others: ribbons, Dymo.

TFL!

I couldn´t finish this minibook in time for the OLW#12 challenge using the word "believe". I didn´t want to make just a single page layout (so many things to say...) and making the minibook took me more time than expected... A bit late but anyway here it is. You can see the whole minibook here (SIS)or here (2Peas). TFL!

Life Art challenge

I´ve been reading lately a lot about art journals and have been seeing a bunch of lovely minialbums. I like the relationship between them and although sometimes I couldn´t define quite well the line which separate both I know there is one. I wanted to try a kind of hybrid but definitely it looks only like a minialbum. I´ve made it for Ali´s challenge at ScrapInStyle TV, based on her Life Art Principles (see week 3). Anyway I´ve enjoyed way too much making it and I´m falling in love with minibooks more and more. These are some other of the pages, you can find the whole minibook here :

TFL!

7 random facts (about me)

Patterned papers: Hambly, SEI, BasicGrey, FancyPants, ScenicRoute; chipboard letters: Basic Grey; chipboard scrolls: FancyPants; stamp: Catslife Press; inks: Tsukineko.

TFL!

Although I did´t make the cut to move on round 2 of LSS V.2 I´ve taken their challenge anyway: "7 random facts" and made this page with 7 random facts about myself. And sure they have been random, I wrote the 7 first things that came to my mind. One of them: 4. My printer "has died". I need to buy a new one. worries me seriously because I usually print my photos at home and now...I won´t have new photos for a while. So I will have to dig out my old ones. Not so bad idea indeed, I have tons! (never scrapped before...)

Have a nice weekend!

OLW #11 challenge: gone

8,5x11. Cardstock: Bazzil Basics; papers: SEI; overlay: Hambly; letter stickers: American Crafts; stamps: Fancy Pants; ink: Tsukineko; ribbons & diecuts: BasicGrey; journalings stickers: Heidi Swapp, 7gypsies; clip: 7gypsies.

TFL!

This page is for OLW Challenge #11: using the word GONE. I´ve tried to use bright colors because the photo was B/W and is a bit "old" and needed light in some way. I also used the overlay to brighten up the photo, cut it in a circle (it was my first Hambly and I almost cry when cutting it... it´s a joke! but now I know why people are so mad about Hambly) and inked the edges, although in the scanning is almost invisible.Those were wonderful and very happy days and I don´t want to remember them in black and white...

Thank you and all about PJ...

I want to THANK YOU all sincerely for your nice comments on my last post. I´m so glad you´ve liked it... really! you have to try it, it´s easy and funny. About watercolor pencils, they are cheap and very versatile (just a few colors are enough), you can take them with you in your handbag, if you have children they will enjoy them as well and if they use a baby wipe for blending instead of water you -and all your surroundig stuff- will be safer.

And about PJ...OK, not all, of course. But just a couple things. First, take a look to this wonderful tag-mini-album she made about her blogging friends. I´m so very happy to be in it! This is the page she made about me, isn´t it lovely? all the other tags are lovely indeed!

Tag and minialbum made by PJ.

Second, I would like to thank her for recommending in her blog the unmounted stamps from Catslife Press, I ordered some of them and I agree with her, the customer service is excellent and all the stamps are very cool! (and unmounted are easier to store)

And finally, if you haven´t already done, check out here her creative skills! She´s a master making homemade foam stamps and cool journaling cards. Don´t miss it!

creative skills: handwriting

In her last AEzine (#23) Ali Edwards writes about creative skills and concepts and sharing it. What a great idea! She´s right, the Internet allow us to share information (not only with people nearby but with all over the world!) and to learn and to grow and thus maybe help others to grow too. I have to be so much grateful for it and for all that I´ve learned lately... I would like to return it in some way but I consider that I´m still only learning. I´ve been scrapbooking just for 7-8 months so I think it´s not time enough to develop any speciality. I can say more, I´ve been trying and testing everything (scrapbooking related) that I found NEW for me, that means EVERYTHING. Sometimes stamping and embossing, sometimes using chipboard elements or rub-ons, sometimes stitching and other times trying different sizes for my layouts or making minibooks. That is everything but nothing, I haven´t got experience enough! But I´ve been thinking (as Ali recommends) and yes, there is something I´ve been doing for almost my whole life: handwriting. I love handwriting and hand journaling and using it in almost all my projects (as well as I love to see other people´s handwritting). I think "I am good with handwriting". When I have to make a journaling block I usually write the text previously on a piece of paper just to calculate if it will fit more or less in my free space. As I don´t matter if it will be perfect (handwritting is inherently imperfect) I don´t worry about writing lines in order to get it straight (in fact I´m afraid I´m too much confident of my handwriting...).

But there is a kind of handwriting that I really really love. I call it "the art journal handwriting", I have no idea if it has a real name (if someone knows, please, i would love to know it...).

OK, it´s nothing new but this is the way I do it:

1. You can begin drawing a circle or other shape with a template, or you can do it directly onto the page (or card or journal or whatever it be)


2. Then I draw wavy lines randomly


3. I write between each two lines taking care of filling up all the space between them. Sometimes I also make some little drawings, like those flowers over the "i".


4. Eventually I take my watercolor pencils and colored the shape. For blending the colors I like to use a baby wipe (never imagined how many uses they have!) and a cotton stick. This time I´ve used a waterproof ink pen but is usually better to do this step first.
   
5. I have done this example in my sketch book, but you could then cut it, ink the edges and make a nice tag for a layout or you could do it directly on it. Or instead of coloring you can write on a cardstock or plain patterned paper.

I think that the main advantage of this kind of handwriting is that no matter how is yours it always looks nice.

I know it´s no big deal but I hope that sharing this at least encourage you to try it if never did it before.

creative skills: handwriting

In her last AEzine (#23) Ali Edwards writes about creative skills and concepts and sharing it. What a great idea! She´s right, the Internet allow us to share information (not only with people nearby but with all over the world!) and to learn and to grow and thus maybe help others to grow too. I have to be so much grateful for it and for all that I´ve learned lately... I would like to return it in some way but I consider that I´m still only learning. I´ve been scrapbooking just for 7-8 months so I think it´s not time enough to develop any speciality. I can say more, I´ve been trying and testing everything (scrapbooking related) that I found NEW for me, that means EVERYTHING. Sometimes stamping and embossing, sometimes using chipboard elements or rub-ons, sometimes stitching and other times trying different sizes for my layouts or making minibooks. That is everything but nothing, I haven´t got experience enough! But I´ve been thinking (as Ali recommends) and yes, there is something I´ve been doing for almost my whole life: handwriting. I love handwriting and hand journaling and using it in almost all my projects (as well as I love to see other people´s handwritting). I think "I am good with handwriting". When I have to make a journaling block I usually write the text previously on a piece of paper just to calculate if it will fit more or less in my free space. As I don´t matter if it will be perfect (handwritting is inherently imperfect) I don´t worry about writing lines in order to get it straight (in fact I´m afraid I´m too much confident of my handwriting...).

But there is a kind of handwriting that I really really love. I call it "the art journal handwriting", I have no idea if it has a real name (if someone knows, please, i would love to know it...).

OK, it´s nothing new but this is the way I do it:

1. You can begin drawing a circle or other shape with a template, or you can do it directly onto the page (or card or journal or whatever it be)


2. Then I draw wavy lines randomly


3. I write between each two lines taking care of filling up all the space between them. Sometimes I also make some little drawings, like those flowers over the "i".


4. Eventually I take my watercolor pencils and colored the shape. For blending the colors I like to use a baby wipe (never imagined how many uses they have!) and a cotton stick. This time I´ve used a waterproof ink pen but is usually better to do this step first.
   
5. I have done this example in my sketch book, but you could then cut it, ink the edges and make a nice tag for a layout or you could do it directly on it. Or instead of coloring you can write on a cardstock or plain patterned paper.

I think that the main advantage of this kind of handwriting is that no matter how is yours it always looks nice.

I know it´s no big deal but I hope that sharing this at least encourage you to try it if never did it before.

OLW#10: PERFECT routine

Cardstock: Bazzill Basic; patterned papers: BasicGrey; letter stickers: thickers American Crafts; stamps: Fancy Pants; inks: Distress Ranger; chipboard circle: ScenicRoute; button: SEI.

TFL!

Yes, it´s routine what allows me to come back to my blog, to make new layouts and participate in challenges. Sad, I know, but it´s the truth. Maybe some of you who have children agree with me. Those little bits of free time since you leave your job until you pick the kids up at school are really precious. And you know that as long as nothing weird occurs you´ll have that little time just for you and will be able to organize the way you like. I love being on vacation and I need it as everybody does, but as far as I have to work and earn money for living, and at the same time I love to make creative stuff, coming back to daily routine is not always so bad.

So here is the layout I´ve made (at the last moment) for the One Little Word challenge using the word PERFECT. I missed some of the previous ones (seek, balance...) but I´d like to be at it again.

Have a nice weekend!

Last Scrapper Standing Vol.2 Round 1: Look

Patterned papers and letter stickers: BasicGrey; acrylic flowers and letters: Heidi Swapp; rub-ons: FancyPants; stamps: Catslife Press; Ink: Distress Ranger; mask: Heidi Swapp; pink paint: Adirondack dabbers; plain transparency, staples, cardstock.

TFL!

Using 8 overlays! Hard work because I hadn´t much on hand. I have to give my thanks (again) to PJ, because I have "scraplifted" what she did in a minialbum using that Heidi Swapp mask and paint. And thanks to Noell too, because she inspired me to do a "side B" for my page (I recommend you this tutorial, it´s great!). You see, nothing original in this layout, I´ve "copied" almost everything...

So I painted a plain transparency with pink paint, using the mask. I added some patterned paper, stamp over cream cardstock for making the journaling tags and added some rub-ons onto the transparency. Anyway I´ve already ordered some Hambly overlays, just in case...

I love these efferdares!

coming alive again

I´m alive! But these past days I´ve been really OVERWHELMED. Very busy times at work, at home and everywhere and everytime... and my creativity has almost become exticnt, mainly because no one of my neurones stayed free. But two days ago I received a couple of packages full of new wonderful stuff and vibes are reviving again. And after a whole summer of travelling and going out weekends I´m going to stay at home for 2 days! (and it´s raining...) So I challenge myself 1st to finish some of my ongoing projects and 2nd make at least one new LO. Will I achieve it???

For the time being I´ve finished (at last!) this minibook with photos of my daughter in water this summer. As I didn´t have a blank minibook I recycled one her old chipboard tale books, gesso-ing it first. I wanted to play a bit with digi (sorry but I can´t find what digi paper I used, I´m sure it was downloaded from a 2-Peas free kit) , so I made the tags and this is enough for me so far...
And now... back to my messy desk. I hope to be able to show you more things done soon!
Have a nice weekend!

ds: 1st september

Stickers: Love Elsie (KI Memories), Distress Ink. Album: Clairefontaine.
TFL!
Between this and the previous "daily something" there are a couple pages that I haven´t scanned. Here I´ve made a 2-pages using one black and one ruled. I´m delighted with this album and its alternate pages, besides it has a size (a bit larger than 5x7") easy to fill in and... easy to carry with you everywhere, perfect for a "daily something"!
I love autumm, especially these days of the late summer and early autumm. The light, the colors, the smells and the weather are so warm...
So let´s enjoy and have a nice weekend!

Dare #74: Scrap your mantra

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics; pp´s: SEI, FancyPants, BasicGrey, ScenicRoute; rub-on: Chatterbox; XL brad & stamps: Heidi Swapp; ink: Stazon, others: acrylic paint, jeans & felt fabrics.

TFL!

This is for Dare #74: Scrap your mantra. I think I have more than one mantra, but this is always important in my life in some way or another.

By the way, yesterday I cut my old jeans shorter, just over the knee, and I didn´t know what to do with the leftover pieces, so I´ve cut a flower and used it as an accent. Will keep the rest to future uses...

And in this LO I used the painting techniques that Noell shows here.

polymeric clay beads, necklaces and another daily something

Yesterday I was making some polymeric clay balls with my daughter (“high quality” as you can see) and she asked me to make her a necklace, so we decided to mix them with some felted pieces and cristal beads to make it, she wanted one “like those you wear, mummy”. I followed (more or less) her directions... her aesthetic sense is growing as she physically does (so fast, indeed!)
I took advantadge of the photos and made my “daily something” for yesterday:

Pp´s: SEI, ScenicRoute, BasicGrey; letter stickers: KI Memories.

TFL!

I though I could make it everyday but as I´ve realized is not always possible I don´t worry anymore: if I can it´s OK, if not... next day. I think that was the phylosophy of the project, don´t make it very complicated and don´t let it be another unavoidable duty. But today, here it is.

And here is the album I promised yesterday to show you:

the brand is Clairefontaine, it´s a "travel photo album", has alternate ruled and black pages (one ruled, one black) it´s more or less 7x5" and I think it´s perfect for my "daily something" project, although some day I could feel like making something bigger or try another size... Now one of my next projects will be to decorate the cover!