Light*in*the*Dark

(I didn't take this photo.  Wish I had a source, but I don't)

NOLA

Best airport welcome, EVER!

 

Best seafood mufalatta & deep fried pickles, EVER!

Best first Auntie & Em photo, EVER!

Best trip across the longest continuous bridge (Lake Pontchartrain Causeway), EVER!

Best first look at New Orleans, EVER!

Best moment of knowing my Soul Sista and I are on the same wavelength, 

EVER! (Restroom photo shoot!)

Best ceiling and entry decor in a trashy tourist voodoo shop, EVER!!!

Best place to get beignets, EVER!!!  (Café du Monde.)

Best hurricane, EVER!!!  (Pat O'Brians.  dude.  4 shots of booze!)

Best grilled oysters, EVER!!!  (Acme Oyster House.)

Best giant metal chicken experience, EVER!!!  (He's wearing mardi gras beads, eek!!!)

Best first time on the landing of a voodoo shop, EVER!!!

 

Best haunted tour guide, EVER!!! (Earnest, so funny, so passionate, so knowledgeable!)

Best cemetery tour, EVER!!

Best offerings to a deceased voodoo queen, EVER!!! (Marie Laveau's crypt.)

Best "whaaa???!!!" moment in a cemetery, EVER!!! (Nick Cage's tomb.)

Best post-haunted tour spicy bloody mary, EVER!!! (Coop's Place on Decatur!)

 

Best at home goofing off moments with a 4 year old, EVER!!!

Best southern belles, EVER!!!

Best rendition of "On the Bayou", EVER!!! (Live music on the river @ Friends!)

Best southern hospitality and kindness I've EVER experienced!!!  

P, you Dennis & Em are the greatest!!! : .)

Cuisine Gastronomique

As a member of the Frantic Stamper design team, one of our tasks is to color in images from the Frantic Stamper line and then use that image on a card, etc...

I have to admit that coloring is not a one of my strongest skills.

I am really, really good at construction however.

I was challenged using this Bottles stamp that Fran sent me especially since there wasn't much to "color" and well, bottles are typically clear, if you wanna see what's inside them...

But with a little brainstorming (oh and about 5 prototypes, one that included "fluid"), my construction "skillz" came into play, and I came up with an IDEA!!!

I first stamped the image on acetate.

Then twice on laid cardstock.

Finally, I stamped each of the 5 bottle toppers on different colored cardstock.

I colored in all of the herbs & garlic and cut them out.  Yes, I did.

Then I cut out all the bottles as one piece and layered the colored pieces on the complete bottle piece.

I cut out the clear image from the acetate and layered that over that.

I cut out all the bottle toppers and layered those on top.  Nevermind that those pieces were incredibly tiny and my upclose eyesight is starting to fail.

I stamped the Tim Holtz tile stamp and the Curtis Uyeda dragonfly on a folded card and layered the bottles on top using double-stick foam tape for height.

The shadows behind the bottles was a happy accident of the photography.  I was so tickled! I think that just makes the card...So cool!

 yep, yep, yep!

In other good news:  I rode bikes with the boys at lunch today for the first time in a year and a half, and I kept up!!!  eeeeeek!  I AM stronger.  I guess that trainer is worth it!

Scrapping the Music - Stray Cat Strut

It was during high school in 1982
when I first heard
the dulcet tones of Brian Setzer singing
Stray Cat Strut.

My first experience with rockabilly!

I had the opportunity to see the band play live,
and I must say, back in the day,
his hair and tattoos made me swoon!

(And didya know...he currently resides in Minneapolis?! : .)

I used one of my cards as inspiration for my piece
and the colors of the rainbow!

Isn't this stenciled background just awesome?!

Its time for you to accept the Scrapping the Music challenge
and make something based on the song,
or the promp, which is... 
What song reflects an event in your life?

Come on and play along!!!

Oh, and STM has two new design team members,
Jessica
and
Herma

WELCOME!

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!

: .)