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March brought on sickness to the family. Don first, then me, then the boy. The girl escaped mainly unscathed. She had me worried for some time but seemed to fight it off. Don and I were hit extremely hard. For the first few days, I would do a lesson with 1 or both of the kids, then send them to watch a show as I was exhausted from that alone. The fatigue and cough lingered for a couple of weeks. I took the boy to the Dr.'s and when she heard my cough, she informed me that I had bronchitis. The boy was on the cusp of it - could go either way. Yeah. But I recovered within a few more days and without the help of antibiotics. I really think that Dr's are too quick to prescribe them. I didn't get to play much while sick, but have been working on my art journaling a bit here and there. Practicing doodles for several days. Finally putting the scrunched tissue paper onto the heart for my gratitude journal cover. I also made this card for our Uncle Stanley, who had to undergo heart surgery, all while we were sick and could not visit at the hospital. I really like the way it turned out.

On future blog notes: more of the art journal page work; the girl's contest entry at Little Yellow Bicycle;

PLAY TIME

Do you remember when you were 5? Your biggest concern was what am I going to PLAY now!

Well, now I'm playing with....

knitting. I took a class & learned the basic knit and pearl. So fun. Can't wait to really have a good grasp and then learn the cable and popcorn and other maneuvers. I go to a quilting class tomorrow night. I totally thought I should by-pass the beginners and after taking the beginners knitting, I'm sure I'm going to cancel the beginning crochet class. (they only teach the single and double, which I can already do.) But I will still be attending quilt class. We should be making a pillow top. So today, after a lengthy, 1 year wait, I opened my new sewing machine. A Brother XR9000. Can I just say "Sw eeEEt". oh yeah, this baby is wow, even though it is missing the little needle threading hook. I bought it at Costco in the fall of 2009 when my 28yr old basic model starting slipping a bit in her old age. Well, then life imploded on us in 2010 so my new machine has set, lonely, in its box collecting dust and any other odds and ends I happen to throw on it. I can't wait for class tomorrow. But even more than that, I can't wait to sew something with this puppy.

Play time with
.........................art journaling. Yep. I've been at that too. Trying to keep up with the Art Journal Everyday which since it is SOO much FUN! it really isn't hard at all. So last week I took a plain white cardstock and glued it to the front of the binder.

So Sunday night, I took a few minutes before going to be to do this front. First I took a pencil and made my lettering and heart. Then using watercolor crayons I made the cover.
Then today I took a waterprook pen and outlined the letters. Then a water loaded paintbrush and blended the colors. I took some paint & mixed it with gesso for coloring in the letters. Then decided to play with an inside page -- I just couldn't wait!

I used blue and green blob method and my fingers to rub it around. Then I took off excess with a paper towel. I used a hairspray cap as my stamp for the circles and some bubble wrap to add more interest. (I actually flipped the book to take a pic of the front cover and it almost closed the whole way which accounts for the circles on the left hand side. And guess what, I love it like that! --HAppY AcciDenTs!) so much fun. Can't wait for more.

Art Journal Everyday

So Julie Fan-Fei has been doing a challenge of sorts. Art Journal Everyday. You sign up each month on her blog and there is a flicker group. Lots of talented peeps. It's amazing just for inspiration! I signed up in January but with putting up storage shelving and everything else. I didn't get to play. So I started playing in March and (after completing the following) I signed up.

This being my first attempt at art journaling I actually went and looked at Emily Falconbridge's art journal prompts from a few years back. She did a challenge and worked on tags. So I cut down some white paper and chose her wish prompt as my first attempt.



The back of the wish card actually states what some of those wishes of discovery and achievement should be. Achieve = balance, organization, ideal weight. Discover = myself, relaxation (whew, doesn't everyone need some of this), cheesemaking,quilting, sewing, crocheting, weaving, education (kids/me), books. Discover/Achieve = deeper relationship with God and fun.

Then I chose a favorite quote and played with gesso. Mainly because I wanted to try that technique.

Today, I'm hoping to start my Gratitude Journal. As a homeschool mom of a child who hates to write and one who is overly dramatic if anything doesn't go exactly as she wants it, I thought the whole family doing gratitude journals would/could (1) reinforce writing skills while allowing artful play, (2) remind us of the blessings God has given us that we sometimes take for granted ,(3) help us all to be truly thankful for those blessings and for what we have. My goal is to show the kids different techniques, let them play, and give them prompts ideas of those blessings.

Life, or something like it

Wowsers. It's been a rough couple of months. I have had almost no scrap/craft time. With homeschooling, we already have limited time. I bought and put up storage unit in the sub-basement and have been trying to get that into some sort of organized chaos. But then I had an extended family member's surgery, we have been spending time there helping out. The kids were sick, although GM's kept us homebound most days, we could still function. And luckily LC's fell the weekend after the blizzard and with HGH's cancelled we didn't miss coop. Last weekend my darling wonderful husband took the kids out for the whole of Saturday. Although the house was a mess (& typically that means I'd still be a mess), I found peace and relaxation. Craft time. Movie time. Internet time. joyous! I feel like a weight is starting to lift.

So the latest layouts


> When J & S came to visit, GM monopolized S's time with Barbie play. S then dressed up GM to look like one of her Barbie's. I sprayed the heart & doily with glimmer mist (either TA or homemade), Lettering with Silhoutte, tulle under the plain doily, Prima & Martha Stewart for all other embellie's.

This background was stamped with versamark using FPD stamps and clear embossed. Then I used TA glimmer mist on the page. I actually made it during the weekend that J&S visited. We enjoyed a bit of just scrappy girl time, so I thought it was perfect for our scrap time together. American Crafts letters, Prima flowers, tissue paper for a base to a prima flower, old denim and scrap lace for ruffle, Hobby Lobby for butterfly. The vintage button is attached to a sizzix cut tag which houses the journaling.

on the 2nd of December

We will spend the day running errands. Yeah, not. But I need to get some new coordinating baskets for the living room. GM has violin practice later today too. But the kids are going to use their pizza hut reading program coupons today for lunch. Then they have wado-ki this evening.

This is the layout I made still using the BG capella line that I used on my altered boxes. The flower was just using varying sized circles. I used a Rhonna F's divine digi element on the photo. Then I used Designer Digitals Lynn Grieveson's ?Colette? kit for some of the flowers and brads and the word/journal placards. I just glued the printout to heavier chipboard and then cut out and ink the edges. GM's shirt is actually hot pink.

on the first day of Christmas,

my true love gave to me.....oops, sorry, it's actually the first day of advent. But Petaloo & Pink Paislee are celebrating 12 days of Christmas now with some Christmas eye goodies each day. Check it out here.


As for me, I'm decking the halls. Singing...

Tis the season to be cleaning Fa la la la la, la la la la
Don we now are gloves and aprons Fa la la la la, la la la la


And I can't carry a tune, so I feel a little sorry for the wee ones who have to hear it.


Last month my lovely daughter helped me with this altered project. I was already doing, but DebiT at 2peas has a basic grey challenge. And right as I was doing this, it was to make flowers from the bg papers. I didn't get these web-sized in time, but I did do a layout of GM helping me that I loaded onto 2ps. I'll post that here tomorrow.

Notice the flower from the punches and scrunched paper circle and then a vintage cream rose button.
The flowers were circles that were spiral cut and then rolled. (I loved all of the playing with the different techniques.)

This was the front of the box.

I made these to go in my kitchen as my darling hubby needed a place for his things and files without driving me crazy. And guess what he said, 'those are cute, but I'm not using them. They are way to girly.' and he knows if I laugh I won't get upset, he adds, 'I already have tendencies (gay), you don't want to push me over the edge.' OK, you win. I'll use the pretties, you get the ugly wire one to use. Works for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

And for your little crafters, here's 2 easy crafts.

1 is a turkey pin. I used a scallop punch on cardstock. Then you snip in the valley just a little ways in. I then used my sizzix circle die with it's 4 sizes in different colored felt (I like the lightest tan for the face) The biggest of the felt goes on for the body, the next gets cut in half for the wings, the next would be the upper body part, the smallest is the face (missing in the top one). Then I took an EK success small punch with red cardstock and cut that in half for the gobbler. Cut triangles out of yellow for the beak. We used Aileen's tacky glue to put it together. Throw on some self adhesive eyes and a pin back. Pass out to all your friends and Gobble, Gobble.

This next one. Cut a styrofoam ball in half. Glue to craft sticks together. Paint brown, even the top of the foam. Let dry. If I had a larger size scallop punch I would have used it & glued the ball bottom to it. But I didn't. I used SU! pennants that I had for forever and a sheet of label stickers typed out with "Give Thanks". I used hemp to tie that to the cross. On the one we did with the kids at the thanksgiving party I used my sizzix to cut leaves from felt, you could use cardstock as well, or a mix. Then glue on. Then I went to the craft store and saw fall flowers being clearanced so for $0.70 I took a bunch, and hot glued them to the base of another one. I was going to do this with the Princess and her cross which she hadn't finished. She threw a fit. So I did a completely knew one. After she saw the finished product, she changed her tune. I think it's way cuter too, but harder to accomplish with 20 kids.