Sketch Challenge 32

Great sketch on the Stars and Stamps.org blog this week = so versatile, but really easy to use. I found Chef Turkey on Elizbeth Dulemba's blog (http://dulemba.blogspot.com). She is soo talented! I'm still working on the watercolor pencil technique...

Life's Lyrics: Do You Remember When?

I just love music - pop music mostly. Grew up listening to Frank Sinatra, Frankie Valli, Paul Anka; spent college years at "Carolina" (a/k/a UNC Chapel Hill) dancing the night away with my sorority sisters to Motown; and remember songs just because I love them and they mean something to me. Soooo, when I saw a "Life's Lyrics" class offered at a recent CKC scrapbook convention, it was intriguing. Megan Hoeppner, creative editor of Creating Keepsakes magazine, taught the class and it was wonderful! Finally finished the book yesterday. I love it! I just wish it hadn't been another 6x6 book -- keep telling myself and posting stickies all over the place not not not to do these small books where everything is cut down to the bone but somehow they just lure me in~~ Here are a few of my favorite songs.....

Sketch Challenge 31 - Coffee Time!

I'm still learning "masking" and coloring in teeny spaces with my Stampin' Up! markers and the little coffee cup and pot reflect that but I love the stamp and the sentiment for another take on an "i love you" sort of card that is truly gender neutral. I backed the navy blue card base on Kraft paper but I'm not sure if I like that or not for future cards.....

Crafty Groove = Finding the Balance

I'm not much of a crafter..maybe because I have a bum shoulder (MRI soon will reveal the cause we hope) or until yesterday it was the dog days of summer here.. and I'm talkin' St. Bernard, Great Dane Dog Days when bees didn't fly and it was so hot the neighborhood kids didn't even want to go out and swim!

So Saturday I went to my friend Peggy's shop, Southern Scrapbooks, and did a "tiered tag tree" (see above) to use for my upcoming Christmas season Disney trip (yeah!!!!!) but also for her to have as a sample for her shop = fun day playing with all her "stuff" .... This picture is from the Adorn-It sight from whence the kit came, however, since someone forgot their camera, you get the idea....

Then Sunday and yesterday dug into my Quick Quotes stash -- probably my favorite kit club and definitely one of my top 3 paper lines. I'm going to their Private Reserve Weekend in Atlanta this fall with friends and can't wait to dig into their huge new stash of divine projects. I love their layouts but also all the projects they have using canvas. Made this canvas memory box up a month or so ago but spent a nostalgic Sunday scrapping the big tags that are the "pages" for this kit.



Kind of gotten away from scrapbooking into card mania and it's time to find a balance between the two...

Sketch 30 and Midweek Coloring Challenge - a "twofer"

With the dog stoned on the bed after a good dose of Xanax for storm phobia (and a very challenging walk in the wet grass to take care of business --he kept falling over!), I needed some downtime.. a luxury of being retired :)



Love this weeks OWH sketch.. very very versatile and I used the colors in my craft room as inspiration for the coloring challenge which is an adorable image from Michelle Perkett. Decided to try my new Derwent watercolor pencils and the Aqua Painter which is still a learning curve -- love this technique!

Creating Keepsakes or Mayhem?

Whew!!! CKC-Charlotte was great event again.. quality girlfriend time, 4 of 6 classes really creative with new techniques, fun projects and an unexpectedly good one and of course -- shopping!!! Crowds were definitely down so hope it doesn't mean they will leave us next year. Made a huge deposit with Paper Loft booth again, bought a Martha Stewart scoring board to use for cards, picked up some Copics and joined Storytellers Club because it was good price, the guy was cute and Joanne and I loved their purple tote which are really the only reasons you need sometimes, right? Actually their class was very good, one of the few sold out. Had two classes with Megan Hoeppner, creative editor of CKC magazine, and she is a gem and taught some great flower-making techniques. So now it's where to put it all??? I did win door prizes this year (yeah~)one of which will help the storage dilemma a/k/a the humongous CKC hardback book on "scrapbook organization." I guess Steve knows what he will be doing as soon as he retires in 7 weeks -- ya think????

Got some great challenges out there on Copic, Magnolia and OWH sites so I need to get the juices going as soon as I can find the dining room table... where is the last ribbon for that kit????