Altered Journal

I haven't posted in awhile. I have been in the bed and resting. I have surgery scheduled for Wednesday and will be back in bed for 8 weeks. So I thought I'd show you my collage effort. I decided to try a little journal I bought at Michaels in their dollar bin before I attempted the box.

It turned out so fantastic! I just played around with it until I was happy with the look. One thing I would change is the hand, I think it should have been tinted an orange or brown to match the other papers. It would have made everything more blended. As it is, it kind of stands out from the others and collage is meant to all blend together.

But that is why I tried it on something cheap first! So I could learn. Anyway it really is neat. I love it!

New Experiment - Will I pass?

I have been admiring the look of collage for quite awhile. But, I have never tried it. Being the adventurer that I am I decided to try my luck. It's only paper right! If it doesn't turn out oh well I have wasted a cheap 2.00 box and about 3.00 on paper. If it's ugly I can always use the box to hold scrap stuff and it will give me something to smile about and ask myself what was I thinking! If it is a success, I will put it at the top of my craft table to admire and say wow! You did great! Either way..It will not be wasted.
I thought since I was experimenting I would go all out and try a style I have never done before. Chinese. I ordered some cool Chinese theme paper and some really cool collage sheets. Stay tuned to see if I pass or fail in my experiment!

Happy Birthday Card

I made a birthday card for a friend at the ScrapGalaxy web site. We have a Birthday Club and when it's your birthday you receive cards from all over the world! It's pretty cool.

You can find the ScrapGalaxy link in my favorite places.

For this card I used pink and teal cardstock, an embellishment from colorbok (Dena's Closet Retro Collection) Basic Grey (Romani - Patchouli), some little flowers that I do not remember who made or where I got! :o), and I added the Bohemia Light Blue Gems to the middle of the flowers. I also inked the edges of all the cardstock I used.

Good Enough For Me

I was reading my February issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine and I read an article by Ali Edwards I just had to share. I will not go through the whole article but I did want to share a part of it. The name of the article was “the busy scrapper’s survival quide” and in it she wrote, “Adopt a philosophy of “good enough” for me. This means keeping the focus on the story. “Good Enough” means you’ve told your story to your own personal satisfaction. Maybe the design isn’t exactly what you first envisioned. Maybe your handwriting isn’t perfect. “Good Enough” is about adopting the perspective that, years from now, people will care most about the photos and the words. The rest is window dressing. “
This really hits the mark with me. For so long I was trying to make my style into a style that wasn’t me. I wanted the artisy look that I adore but found it impossible to create. I wanted the “wow” factor! It got to a point where I was avoiding scrapping because scrapping had become frustrating. It wasn’t the fun it used to be. I finally went back to scrapping my way and with it came back my passion for scrapping.
I hear or really read so many people saying how their layout isn’t “good enough” or “I wish I could make mine look like the DT’s do. I may never be chosen to be on a Design Team. But I am doing what I love, the way I love and that…. “Is Good Enough For Me!”

Scrapbooking Tags

I have been working on tags for a tag class. I have had so much fun! They are quick, fun, and most of all easy! You can find the class at scrapfriends. The link is posted in my favorite links section. The best part of the class? It's free! I have learned so many techniques. They have awesome classess beginning every month. Be sure to check them out at the first of the month to see what class they are hosting. You may start the classes at any time.

A few of my creations, Scrapbooking

Here are a few of my favorite layouts from 2006. It was hard to pick just a few and I may add more at a later time. Starting in 2007 I will add all my creations as they are made.

This layout was of my daughter on her wedding day. I thought she was beautiful!

This is her engagement picture taken in 2006. What a cute photo. I do believe I did the picture justice with my layout!

Here is a fun one. This layout is from pictures we took at the Laurel and Hardy Festival. There is a funny story to this. I thought it was going to be one very boring day. But my husband was dying to go. So off we went. I reaely tell my husband no about anything because he never tells me no. He is a wonderful man who always trys to be sure that I am happy. Anyway back to the story. I thought this would be Boring. Turns out, I had the most awesome time! We laughed, ate great festival food, and spent 2 hours getting lost because I needed a picture of a boat. Then as we were driving around looking for the lake that the interstate sign said was on the exit, we found a tiny town. I stopped in a coffee shop and asked for a Mocha. The man looked at me with disdain and said "We ain't go no Starbucks round here".. Oh goodness, we laughed all the way back home! I tried to make this layout have a fun and funky feel. That was our mood for most of the day!

Here is one I did of Fall. This is John's daughter in her Halloween Costume!