Going South for the Winter

Its time for the Monarchs to go south for the winter.

Did you know that in Mexico the people believe it is the returning souls of their loved ones?

I like that they also represent change.

I like all butterflies, but I particularly like Monarchs.

Is it their size?

The fact that they are quite ubiquitous in California?

That they are dressed for Halloween every single day? : .)

All of the above?

Inspired me to make this card...
 

(Frantic Stamper butterfly, mini brads, and some misc papers and alpha stickers from my stash.)

In other news, I recently visited New Orleans and the lovely Roebucks family.  A trip that's definitely on my top 10 list!  Pictures soon!!!  : .)

just playin'

I love the moments when inner critic is silent 

and I don't think and sit down 

and actually do something creative.

I've been cleaning my house for an impending visit from my Dad. 

I'm a procrastinator, so instead of putting supplies away, I started playing...  

what was it I was just doing???  LOL!!!

There's something about the random messy-ness of spray inks.  

You don't always have a lot of control, but you can direct a design by using a mask, stencil, or template.  You can spray thru your template, or press the inky side against some scrap paper. You can spray over bkgnds that you've already created. 

Voilá!!!  Beautiful backgrounds!

I think these are my favs!

: .)

Version IX

Scrapping the Music has just finished celebrating the first half of its blogaversary month!

The first challenge this month was to match the work with the design team member : .)
I'd say, "here's a hint" but the challenge closed Sunday night at midnight central time, so instead you get to see my piece, LOL!

I choose to do an art journal entry to the lovely Mr. Gwen Stefani's, uh...I mean Gavin Rossdale's song, The Sound of Winter  : .P


Like so many of Eddie's songs, Gavin's song had a lot of great lyrics that I could have used, I did these to go with my meditating woman...

I subjected myself to a lot of anxiety creating the page... I made eight versions before I was happy with the final piece.  Really, 9 total...

At least I have a bunch of pretty backgrounds to cut up to use for ATCs, heh!

*     *    *     *     *

For the second half of the blogaversary event,  for each of the songs chosen by the design team members, you can do a piece and have an entry placed in the drawing, so if you do all six songs, you have 6 chances to win...Go HERE to see all the other pieces that the design team created!!!

I picked my other favorite song of the bunch Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know.



(You know that you've sung this version while driving your car!!!  : .P)

(click on the pix to see it clearer!)

Me & my Starbucks... unrequited love! LOL!!!

Come play along, we've got some GREAT prizes!!!

Lolita my Love

After a bit of a hiatus, there's finally some posting going on again over at the Frantic Stamper blog, so I feel more comfortable showing some of my my DT work...

I just lurrrrrveeeee these Lolita Skully cameos and Fran got them in the shop!  I was brainstorming what to do with them and came up with this:

I used May Arts black & cream ribbon, some black tulle, and a cameo bezel I found at this cool shop on etsy... That's Aldien's gorgeous hair in the background! : .)

I got some other work brewing with Lolita!!!

Happy Sunday!

Let the Festivities Begin!

Scrapping the Music is celebrating its 5th blogiversary!!!

Come join us to get this party started!!!

There's a  special format for the month of August 

which will include more ways to win, more prizes,  
more songs for inspiration, plus a fun guessing game!

Please stop by, check it out, and play along with us! 

We would love to see your creativity during our month-long party!!!!!

Scrapping the Music - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Another day, another challenge over at Scrapping the Music!

This round is presented by the lovely STM design team member Sharon.  She chose Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

I just love this rendition!



I always sigh a bit remembering the movie 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore where they used the song at the end.  One of my favorites!

Anyway, I did a piece with a little spin...

(I used this sketch..)

I decided to use one of the photos of me at the street faire, in a piece entitled:

Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Sprinkles Fly...Happiness sprinkles!  

Get it? 
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.  
Bluebirds of happiness.  
Happiness sprinkles.  
Somewhere over the rainbow, sprinkles fly.  

OK, maybe that's just how my mind works : {)  (oh geez, I just figured out how to make a mustachioed emoticon! tee hee hee!  totally an accident.  ahem.)  



And the prompt?  Oh yes...Scrap about a song you remember your mom singing to you as a child, or one that you sing/sang to your own children.

While I didn't do a piece for the prompt, I do remember my Mom singing You Are My Sunshine to my sis.  Good memories!

I also have the July 15th sketch from Frantic Stamper to present...

Once I got started working, one card wasn't enough, so I made two...

This first card uses bits of Bo Bunny's Hello Sunshine line, yellow bazzill cardstock, Martha Stewart bf punch, and a Memory Box die.  The alpha stickers are Basic Grey, I think.

Oh, and the second also uses bits of Hello Sunshine, with the exception of some packaging backing (say that five times fast!) from some Prima flowers and the black & white striped paper.  Isn't that bee just too cute?!

You wanna play along with all three challenges, doncha?!   : .)  Please do!

Keep on Truckin'!!!

I went to my first street food market this evening, a fairly large gathering of gourmet fud trucks, a veritable fud fest!


A couple of my previous experiences with "roach coaches" made me never want to eat from one again (picture a dead black fly in your fried rice after you've eaten most of it, and what looks like a pubic hair under your taco. yeah. for reals), but I was convinced by my fud buddy Paul, who went last Friday, and sucked in by the extensive and varied menus...

Treatbot - ICE CREAM!!!
Sam's Chowdermobile - They had LOBSTER Rolls!!!
Curry Up Now - Indian 
No Way Jose - Mexican 
MoBowl - Various savories in a bowl 
Le Bon - Vietnamese & French cuisine 
Fairycakes - Cupcakes, what else? 
 Bigg Shrimp'n - Shrimp Po Boys 
Eat on Monday - I think this was tacos??? 
Taqueria Angelicas - More Mexican 
The Chairman - Steamed & Baked Buns 
Arabian Bites - Middle Eastern 
Jo on the Go - Coffee 
Dough Truck - OK, DOUGHNUT BURGERS. YES!!!
Farmers Market Express - Raw fruits & veggies...This wasn't a very popular truck, snort!  

They set out these upside down buckets to sit on...

I bet you can guess what I ate!? Really for true, an American cheese stuffed bacon burger on a glazed DONUT!!! eeeeeek!!! (Those are "loaded" tater tots...cheese, sour cream, BACON, and green onion!)

I named it the Sugar Bomb Burger! 

While it initially promised gustatory delight, by the time I got to the last few bites, I had to ditch the donut and finish up only the meat. Maybe it was too much after the breakfast choco old fashioned donut this morning, or it could have been washing it down with classic coke.  The tots ya think?! 
hum... 

Here's Paul enjoying his Gobble Gobble Burger. (Turkey burger stuffed with provolone, arugula, finished off with garlic aioli.)

Paul also got three steamed buns from The Chairman (kinda like a Chinese taco)...pork belly with daikon (japanese pickle), Chinese five spice blend on pork and cole slaw, and braised beef with marinated carrots.

I could only take a bite of each... groan... 


We cruised the rest of the market, lo and behold, found ourselves in front of the FairyCakes truck 

You bet I found a bit of space in my dessert stomach!!!   Again, an extensive menu to choose from... Paul had a California Dreamin' which was a choco cupcake with a syrup filled center, cream cheese frosting, and graham sprinkles. I had the Vanilla Salty Caramel, which had a caramel syrup center, cream cheese frosting, salt, and I added some HAPPINESS sugar sprinkles. (Again with the sugar!!!)

Me & my full belly were pretty HAPPY by that point  : .D

I'm glad we walked to the feast from Paul's, about a mile...


I have to point out the irony that the street fud market is RIGHT.ACROSS.THE.STREET from where I see my trainer!!! (Today as a matter of fact!) 


LOLOLOLOL!!!


A little spendy, but a great adventure!
Protein shakes tomorrow, but...
Lobster rolls next week!!!  heh.

One Step Up from a Houseplant

Snails.

Gastropods.

One step up from a houseplant.

Hard not to anthropomorphize the creature since she looks like she's really enjoying herself.

Dude.

I'm farming and I ...

Evidently, there is no end to the parodies!  O.M.G!!!



(This is the original here... Parental Advisory, heh!)

teeheeheehahahagigglegigglesnort!!!

Monkey de Los Muertos

Please note the running theme in this post if it isn't obvious to you from the start, hee!!!

Awhile back I helped fund an artist's project on Kickstarter and got this really, really cool filigree skull.

I was pretty excited to find another project to fund after reading Jenny Lawson's irreverent (I can't think of a most perfect adjective here) blog. (OMG!  I laugh hysterically every time!  Beyonce, a story for another time!)  A watercolor artist who lives in Oregon, Rachael Rossman had done a Dia de los Muertos portrait of Jenny and had submitted her project for funding to Kickstarter where she would paint your very own portrait from a photograph.

I HAD TO HAVE ONE!!!

A few months later, this arrived in the mail!!!

I LoVe it!!!  I think the only thing I would have wished for is a background like the one done for MONKEY, which happened to be posted today on another of my favorite blogs, A Skull A Day.

You can see the other AMAZING DDLM portraits that Rachael has done in her gallery on her blog...
She painted a DDLM portrait of Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins for a Deviant Art contest that was ultimately judged by Tim Burton himself!

She does pets too!!!

But doncha just love Munkee?  eeek!

: .)

Workin' On My Fitness

Once again, two design team challenges coincide and the Scrapping the Music challenge is posted on the same day as the Frantic Stamper card sketch.

This time around at STM, the song for the challenge is Freedom, by Tyrone Wells, chosen by STM design team member Sharon, who is also providing the prize for the drawing at the end of the month!  Its a happy song and a great vid...



The prompt this round is to scrap a playlist...the one you have in your car, or the one you listen to while you scrap.  Or your current favorite list of songs, or maybe a playlist of what you listened to in high school? You could art any playlist you want.

I went with the prompt and did a piece about the playlist I listen to while I jog.  I call it "workin' on my fitness"  : .)  Did you know you can print your playlist from iTunes???  So I did, and I made this...
(looks vaguely familiar, doesn't it?!  : P)

 I just love this runner stencil!

Edited:  I didn't like the banners...

Looks like someone got a little crazy with the ess...heh!!!

The newest sketch is up at the Frantic Stamper blog too!

I used some October Afternoon Farmhouse product to make my card,

Faded Wallpaper paper and the matching chip and stick chipboard...

Come on over and join in the fun!!!

throwing down the gauntlet!

On Friday, Marit came by my blog for a visit and proposed that the both of us to do a piece this weekend for the current Scrapping the Music challenge (you know, since I didn't get one posted in time for the design team)! 

It was close enough to a dare to do it, especially because SHE DID!  And she managed to create 3 pieces, for both the song and the prompt!!!

WOWZA!  So impressive!

Here's what I came up with...I used pprs that came in my DT package from Frantic Stamper.  This is Bo Bunny's Hello Sunshine line!

If you're inspired, please go here or here for the song/prompt and get arting!!!   

This particular challenge is due by midnight, June 27.

Okeedoh! I haven't had anything to eat all day, gonna make some quinoa salad stat! 

 : .)

a bit dispirited...

Is it a bad thing that all I want to do is lay prostrate on the couch

and watch episode after episode of the Big Bang Theory?

I need a summer vacation,

or something...

OK, back to business!!!

Kathy posted a new sketch over at the Frantic Stamper blog on Sunday.

 I wanted to play with some new goodies I purchased recently, 

my Memory Box Chloe Butterfly

and a Couture Creations Waterfall embossing folder,

both used with my Big Shot die cutting machine. 

(I really like that thing!)

and I came up with this!!!

 Yeah, the photography isn't so great!  I took the pix at night...

Anywhoo, I thot it'd make a great high school graduation card... a metaphor for metamorphosis, right?!  Catepillar to butterfly to bright beautiful kid going out into the world.  But who to send it to?!

Ok...I still haven't made anything for the current Scrapping the Music challenge (P, I am a terrible friend!)  At least go over and check out the pretties that the rest of the design team made!  You could also go see the participant's submittals for the current song!  (Its a Good Life by One Republic) and prompt (What is your most memorable summertime song?  Whenever you hear it, what are the memories that come back to you?)  You won't be disappointed!!!

Would you call this "rust" or "sienna" or "burnt umber"?

The new Frantic Stamper sketch is up on the blog! 

Fran sent me some new Ranger Vintaj Patinas to play with.  These are permanent inks for non-porous surfaces.  All the videos on YouTube showed using the patinas with the Vintaj line of metal blanks, charms, and embossing folders, none of which I had.  During a quick brainstorm session with my friend Paul, he suggested I cut up an aluminum can to use.  That coupled with my Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy embossing folder, made the base piece so I could use the patinas. 

I was challenged here with colors that would go with "rust"...  I didn't want to go all tone-on-tone like I usually do, so I googled "rust color combos" and found this fantastic site ColorCombos.com, which showed  that "rust" went with "blue lynch".  Hummm, is that a standard color???

Anyway, I used rust and bleu grey cardstock, and the painted square with some wire and brads to make my sketch card:

: .)

By the way...Kathy also posted another card of mine on the blog on Friday.   You can go there, or you can read about it here : .P

This started out as a play on George Rodrigue's, The Blue Dog, but with a cat.  And y'all know me...I'm typically not happy with the first run of anything, so I made a "prototype":

It was too blue.  BORING...  And what the heck is up with that cartoon monster face on his chest?! 

After conferring and getting some artistic input from my graphic design friend (Michael) and one of my Starbuck's barristas/artist (Abel) I ended up with this:

(Desert Twilight/Southwestern "Its a sombrero"cat? [Abel]  Madonna  cat? [Paul] heh.)

Meow!!!

Hey, if you're inspired, do a sketch card and email it to  FranticStamperSketchPhotos@yahoo.com so Kathy can post it on the blog!!!  

Scrapping the Music - Whole Wide World

The challenge this round over at Scrapping the Music is Whole Wide World by Mindy Gledhill.  Such a cute girl power song and video...





The prompt for this round is "Is there a song you once shared or currently share with a special someone as 'your song' together?" 

STM is celebrating this 200th challenge (!!!) with a special event.  We have teamed up with Noel Mignon's Kit Club for the month of June!  What does that mean???  It means two things:

1.  Noel is sponsoring STM  this month with a gift certificate to her store for $20.00!  She's got awesome kits, and other fabulous scrappy goodies to choose from!  Click here to go to Noel's website, which includes the shop, blog, and a really cool and friendly online community.  All you have to do to be included in the drawing for this prize is complete a piece from the song or the prompt from the June 1st or June 15th challenge, and post it over at the  Scrapping the Music  blog : .)  
 
2.  We are honored to have the Noel Mignon Design Team playing along with us for the June 1st challenge! Welcome to Virginia Tillery, Jana Eubank, Gretchen McElveen and Kimberly Neddo!  Please go on over to the Scrapping the Music blog to see their creations, as well as those from the rest of the design team.

As for me... I took a a cue from one of my recent posts, I created this with some of the Whole Wild World lyrics...

I chose the lyrics because altho' I'm a low risk person, I try to be brave and I liked the reminder!  

I'm so happy when I don't struggle with lyrics (or the prompt) and when serendipity plays a fast one on me, in a good way of course.  I was looking through one of my art journals and found this page I had created awhile ago.  I had added the black swirly lines that are a signature of this artist, and then inspiration struck when I looked across my "craft space"  (you all know this as the "living room floor") and saw another of my Stampotique stamps, Moth Fab.  

Her dress and hair have similar swirls, so it was a perfect match to the art journal page...I stamped and embossed MF twice, once on white cardstock and then one on the decorated scrapbook paper that I used on the journal page.  From the decorated scrapbook paper, I cut out her hair and dress as those were the parts that repeated the swirls and glued them onto the white cs base.  Added a bit of detailing as blush, for her eyes, purse, and the fringe on the bottom of her dress, added some decorated sb ppr butterflies and voilá!!!  


I like it!!!


After all that, do please join us for the challenge, won't you?!  


: .)

Catching up?

Recenty, Patricia and I were having an email conversation and she suggested that I post some art work that I never posted, as a catch up.  Unfortunately, the light's gone for tonight, so I can't get good photos.  Maybe I can get to that tomorrow : .) After I go to spin class and see Johnny Depp in Dark Shadows

: .)

I managed to do these two pieces today and last weekend.  I find it so funny that I get stuck on a color scheme.  (I've also done  a few Frantic Stamper design team projects, but I'm hanging onto those until I submit them and they are posted on the FS blog.)

Last week while I was out jogging, I was listening to Eddie (& Pearl Jam) and was inspired to make  this piece:

I was also inspired by this great picture from Disney by Mark's blog post about Tim Burton, the Un-Disney Legend...

 I love Tim Burton.  I love Disney.  (Don't get me started on the park ticket price increase however...)
& I made this:

Isn't that black masking tape awesome?!

I thinking about doing a shadow box with the wire/tape ears, but I think I need a different wire gage.

SuperStar!!!

Its Frantic Stamper sketch time! 

 I took a cue from my most recent STM layout, as well as the sketch and made this!!!

From the Frantic Stamper shop,

I used my new Dylusions Spray Inks  in London Blue & Vibrant Turquoise

and 

Frantic's French Newspaper Background stamp.

Also, some Basic Grey Urban Prairie cardstock and

 I think the star brads are from Impress Rubber Stamps.

Scrapping the Music - Sparkle

Another challenge is up at Scrapping the Music!  This time around we are doing Sparkle by RubyHorse.

Another song I had not had the chance to get to know.  I think I am lacking in my musical education. Nevermind that most of the music on my iPod is probably 4-5 years old!!!  heh.  Ok, recently I did download Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know. (At first I thot it was Goat-Yees, but its actually Gauthier. Pronounce THAT!)   I'm so hip.  yeah.

Don't forget that the new format at Scrapping the Music has two parts, the music challenge and a prompt.

The prompt for this challenge is "Your favorite singer when you were a teenager",  or currently if your Dad still calls you a teenager.   Oh wait, that's probably just me!  : .P

OK, I couldn't help but go with, the what do they call it??? the gratuitous picture of the day (GPOTD).
I took it while I was practicing TTV shots during my class in SF last year.  To see if its possible to take a self-portrait TTV.  It IS!!!  I love this picture of me, not only because its so dorky, but because I think I'm so funny and I think its quite representative.  I'm quite modest too, right?!  (SO laughing at myself RIGHT NOW!) AND I SPARKLE!  hee!  But I am NOT a vampire.    And while I'm thinking of it, why did they only show Edward as sparkly in Twilight and not the other Cullens?  Sorry, I digress yet again.

You might recognize the papers and the alphas, they're from the DCWV - Colorful Life set that I used for this...I needed glittery stuffs.  Unfortunately, all of that is lost in the photography.  I'll have to check with my photography expert (Patricia!) to see if that can be rectified...

Oh please do stop by and play along!!!

"then I believe we've arrived at another quintessential rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock moment"

I've been watching playoff hockey.  

Nevermind that I didn't really watch all season AND 

my beloved Los Tiburones went OUT (again) in the first round.  

(And the Penguins, and the Red Wings, the Sharks were in good company.)  

I guess I do care about who wins ultimately.  

I am notorious for watching the final things of things.  

heh.

I know, I still haven't posted my Texas vacation photos, 

but I didn't get my butterfly pixs off my Dad's camera and 

I really really want to show you those.  

Things have been much the same, me trying to maintain my grip. 

I need to work harder to be here now, instead of waiting for a future that may not come;

And, I need to remember things...I have become really absent-minded lately.  

I have been making it to work, 

getting in those workouts, doing some art, 

memorizing one-liners from the Big Bang Theory

(BAZINGA!)

I've been working on DT stuff which I can't show yet, 

but here are some other things I've been working on.  

Getting ideas from my head to paper is difficult, 

especially since what comes out wasn't what I pictured.  

I end up not finishing a lot of those things...

Embellished warm-up tags...

Art journal pages.  

I need to try to get away from doing work that is tone-on-tone, 

it gets too washed out.  

I need to be brave and use more color.  

I really like tone-on-tone tho'   : .)  

This is made from security envelopes and other junk mail that I was gonna recycle.

I hope I didn't use language, or expose too much in these journal pages, heh!

Done in Texas of course...

Eee-ar-th day inspo!

Just a random page.

And can I say that tents & blanket forts are really really cool!  

: .)