Sunday, July 31, 2016

08/01/16 - MIM #67

Hi and Happy August!
Last month "The Memory Nest" had 4 sketches instead of the usual 2.
The same will happen this month.
Today I bring you "Make it Monday" Sketch #67.
Last day for entries = August 30th 2016.


MIM#67



"Our 15th" 
Journaling: "Our fifteenth anniversary included our traditional trip to Vegas.
We saw "Carrot Top" for the 2nd time, the 1st was for our 11th anniversary, and
ate at a new-to-us restaurant called "Rice and Company". Both were at the Luxor
and both were great! 7.17.16 /Anniversary = 7.16.16"


As you can see I didn't use many triangles on my layout.
I am not a triangle person...circles are my favorite shape and you have seen/will see them a lot on my layouts!
Incorporating the triangles into my layout was difficult for me, but I did include the large one on the bottom right, which doubles as a place to hold our tickets from the show, and I punched some smaller triangles that I added to the opposite corner to balance out the layout.

Fun fact: I bought the triangle punch a couple of years ago and this is the first time I've used it!                                           
                                                                                                                                            

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

07/27/16 - "Get Messy - Season of Introspection"

Today I am sharing a few of pages I created for the "Get Messy Season of Introspection".
 
Before I share them I would like to share some blog links of previous pages I made:
The first 2 pages that I created and shared are here (clickable link): "Getting Messy...Again"
 
And this page, although not very full of "introspection", was inspired by a prompt from the "Season" so I count it (clickable link): "I Wish"
  
Okay, on to what I came here to share (photos plus their Instagram captions - the "@" addresses are clickable also if your interested in doing so):
 
 
"I Am Groot"
My creation based on @getmessyartjournal Art Prompt No. 2 from Week 1; as suggested by @dansmoncrane....  I can't share the actual prompt but I will say it had something to do with ink blots. We're supposed to be getting all deep and "Introspection"-like, but nah... I see a Disney character, LOL!
06/19/16



"Quiet"
I saw the photo in a magazine and had an instant love for it! I ripped it out and glued it into my art journal with no idea what to do with it. A few days later I came across an art journal page on IG created by @mkranthony and her words summed up my feelings perfectly and went so well with the photo! I borrowed some of her journaling and added some of my own to finish my page. Thank you Molly for the inspiration/the final "piece" that helped me to finish this page!
07/06/16
 
 
 
"Rose Colored Glasses"
 (This may be) my last page for the @GetMessyArtJournal "Season of Introspection".
This was inspired not by a specific prompt but by the idea of Introspection in general (despite what I wrote at the bottom of the page; just realized the error); most of my pages for this season were like that! I did not draw the sunglasses; it is a photo from the internet. Since joining "Get Messy" I've discovered I'm more of a "journalist" than an "artist"... but I'm okay with that. I still enjoy the creative process of making "art journal" pages! The "Season of Introspection" is officially over. I'm looking forward to the next "season" as its theme is something I absolutely love! If you're thinking "food?"... you're wrong, but great guess, LOL! You'll find out soon enough! 😉
07/27/16

 

That makes 6 pages created for the season...
Which isn't as much as I would have liked but more than I did last Season (I did zero last season)! 
 
Despite the lack of quantity of pages created, I still enjoyed the process of creating and the finished product!
 
 

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

07/26/16 - July "Ugly Paper" Challenge (and MIM #66)

It's "Ugly Paper Time" again!
(A Scrapbook.com Monthly Challenge)
 
A reminder of how the challenge works:
1. After signing up, the host gives your name and address to another participant
2. The other participant sends you 2 "ugly" papers and at least one ugly embellishment
3. You MUST use both papers; the embellishment(s) is optional
4. You are allowed to use other items as well, as long as the 2 "ugly" papers are included in the layout
5. You are allowed to alter the papers and, if used, the embellishment(s) but they must still be recognizable
 
 
 
Here are my July "ugly" papers and embellishment:





My layout:
 
"7.21.16 - Stop, Drop, and Selfie"
Journaling: 7.21.16 - Challenged to "Stop, Drop, and Selfie" on Instagram - B&W Edition.
Included the B&W and colored version here."


The flowers were punched out of the 2 "ugly" papers.
The "ugly" embellishment, which is a fishing rod w/ a fish attached, was cut in half and used as a border: part of it in between the photos and the other part under the right hand photo w/ the journaling strips covering the fish.


I was "afraid" of the papers, and embellishment, when I first got them (YIKES!)...but once I thought of making flowers out of the papers, the layout came together really quick!
I didn't think I would use the embellishment but played around w/ it until I found a way to make it work; cutting it apart and covering some of it up definitely made it easier!

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And since I have no smooth segue for this...
I'll just get right to the point:

As I mentioned before ( post ), there are 4 sketches to play w/ this month over at the "The Memory Nest Blog".
The Design Team was divided into 2 teams and each team is responsible for 2 sketches.
I mentioned I would try to complete all 4 sketches but if I couldn't I would at least share the ones I didn't complete w/ you.
 
Here is Team #2's Second "Make It Monday" sketch for July (which I wasn't responsible for and didn't complete a layout for):
 
 "MIM Sketch #66"
 
It's a great sketch and I really wish I had, had time to create something for it.
 
To see the Design Team creations click here: MIM #66
You have until July 31st to submit your entry.




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My layout was also included in the following July SB.com Challenges:

>Hoarders
18 hoarded items:
-buttons (17)
-flower punch
*NO TWIST*

-Stickers
3 total:
-fishing pole
-journaling strips (2)
*NO TWIST*

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

07/20/16 - "I Wish" (An Art Journal Page)

I realize I'm behind on sharing my art journal pages again...
It's so hard to keep up w/ my creative side when I have to work 10 hours every day.
(I'm kidding/not kidding)
If I had more free time I would be so much more creative and/or at least be able to keep up w/ sharing my creations!

I need to create a blog post w/ all my most recent art journal pages.
Until I do that I at least want to share what I created today:

 
"I Wish"



It's nothing fancy...
Just 2 of my favorite things:
1. Art Journaling (via magazine cut-outs) and
2. Song Lyrics

In this case 2 songs w/ the same title: "I Wish"
Skee-Lo's 1995 version and Cher Lloyd's 2013 version.

May seem random but my thought process went like this:
  Saw photos of "skee-ball" > thought of "Skee-Lo" > thought of his song "I Wish" > thought of Cheryl Lloyd's version of "I Wish"> created art journal page

Art journaling doesn't need to be complicated...
Neither does the creative process.
Sometimes my most favorite pages are the fast and simple ones!

And for some added fun here are the videos for the 2 songs referenced in this page:

Skee-Lo:
https://youtu.be/ryDOy3AosBw

Cher Lloyd:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EWINVP3B9A

Curious to know if your familiar w/ either (or both songs)?

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, July 18, 2016

07/18/16 - MIM #65

Sketch #3 of 4 this month at "The Memory Nest" blog.
- "Make it Monday" sketch #65.
You have until July 31st to upload your take on this and/or any of the other 3 sketches this month to win a prize!
 
 
 
 MIM #65
 
 
 
"(Our Christmas Photos) - 2003"
 
 
Christmas in July?
Well that IS a "thing"...
But I didn't create this layout w/ that in mind.
I just happen to come across these photos while doing some organizing; it's amazing what you can find when you actually get organized!
I found them comical...
We all look so young and I look so much, um... "thicker" than I am now... LOL
 
Everything on this layout is super old stash (I'm talking like at least 4 years old!) - except for the journaling block and the 2 yellow and green snowflake stickers and the1 red flower.
 
Which leads me to share a couple of "interesting" facts about me (as it relates to this post):
 
-   I'm not a fan of holidays, including (especially) Christmas.
I hardly have any photos of Christmas and detest Christmas scrapbooking papers/kits, because I have no real use for them.
The winter kits aren't much use for me either because we don't live where there is a "real" winter.
 
- Once Madi started school, and therefore started having yearly (school) photos taken, we stopped getting our photos professionally taken.
David and I figured w/ the school photos and all the photos I take, their wasn't much of a need for the "formal" photos. 
 
Both those facts make these photos "rare gems"!
 
 
BTW - question time:
I included the ages of the kids and had originally included mine and David's ages as well, but then took them off; it just seemed weird to me.
I'm again second-guessing myself w/ that choice.
 
What would you do in this situation:
would you include the ages of you and your spouse?
 
 
 

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

07/12/16 - "One Direction Part 2"

Yesterday I shared a layout I created over the weekend that documented an event that occurred way back in 2014: "The Lion King".
I created another  layout this past weekend that coincidentally documented another event that occurred in 2014.
 
I finally created the second page of a 2-page layout of the One Direction concert my daughter and I went to in September 2014.
Before I show you Page 2, let me remind you of Page 1:
 
 
 
"One Direction Concert - Page 1"
 
Also here is the link to the original blog post if you want to jog your memory of our experience:
 
 
 
Okay now here's page 2 (drum roll please...):
 
 
"One Direction Concert - Page 2"

I tried to keep the pages similar as far as using a lot of the same colors and embellishments/papers from the same kit I used on the first page.
Most of the items used on both pages are from the Pink Paislee "Hey Kid" collection.

If you've been following me for a while, you already know how much I hate doing 2 page layouts...
I think, besides this one I've only done 2 others in my whole scrappy lifetime!
That's part of the reason I took so long to do this page; it's part 2 of a 2 pager... ugh!
The other reason why is, I was disappointed in the way the collage I ordered from Snapfish came out.  I thought it would be bigger and take up more room on the layout.
I wish it had been bigger so you could see the photos better, plus the lack of size made me feel pressured to fill up the extra space!
So I just tucked it away w/ the thought to "do it later".
That was back in 2014, LOL!
These days I'm all about the layering though so it wasn't so hard to fill up the space.
But due to the change in scrapping style over the years, I'm not sure, how cohesive the 2 pages work together?
But I'm not going to stress about it though...
I like each layout on it's own, they at least kinda sorta look like they go together, and most importantly, it's finished (finally)!


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Created for the following SB.com July challenges:

>Music Challenge
Category Three: Artist
Use the name of a band, group or solo artist on your layout.
1D is in stickers above the word "LOVE"
*NO TWIST

>Use Your Stamps Challenge
-The word "LOVE" is stamped
*NO TWIST (none given)

>HOARDERS Challenge
Everything on here is hoarded except for the heart Project Life type card, the gold happy face and heart stickers, the stamp, and the pink hearts embellishment (so there's more hoarded items then not).
*NO TWIST

>July Scrap with Your Scraps
Used 2 scraps
-musical notes PP
-gold star
*INCLUDES TWIST of fussy cut an object from a scrap paper; the gold star is cut out of a scrap piece of PP

>Sticker Challenge
13 stickers:
from top to bottom:
-heart-eyed happy face
-"5"
-pink/cream hexagon
-lips
-turquoise/cream heart journaling label
-green arrows (2)
-alphas (2)
-black star
-"Hey Boy"
-"You Are Amazing"
-gold heart
*NO TWIST

Monday, July 11, 2016

07/11/16 - MIM #64 and The Lion King

Good Monday morning!
As I told you in my last post, there are 4 sketches to play w/ this month over at the "The Memory Nest Blog".
The Design Team was divided into 2 teams and each team is responsible for 2 sketches.
I mentioned I would try to complete all 4 sketches but if I couldn't I would at least share the ones I didn't complete w/ you.
 
Here is Team #2's first "Make It Monday"sketch for July (which I wasn't responsible for and didn't complete a layout for):
 
 "MIM Sketch #64"
 
To see the Design Team creations click here: MIM #64
You have until July 31st to submit your entry.
 
 
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Since I didn't create a layout from the sketch, I would like to share w/ you a layout I created this past weekend:
 
 
"The Lion King" 
Journaling: "We actually didn't care too much for it but at least we can say we saw it".
 
 
I (finally) scrapped the photos of our outing to see "The Lion King" on January 4th, 2014.
We weren't impressed w/ the play.
We had seen "Shrek the Musical" and "Wicked" and were blown away by both, "Wicked" being the best of the two, so we were very disappointed in the fact that "The Lion King" wasn't as good.
In fact we couldn't understand the hype!
But as the journaling states, at least we can say we saw it.
 
A few FYIs:
The photo collage was created through Snapfish, back in 2014 right after we saw the musical, and the "The Lion King" embellishment at the bottom was printed from the internet onto regular printer paper.
Also I included the Playbook by making a pocket out of the yellow/white/orange flowered PP and attaching it w/ a paperclip on the very last page of the book.
 
That's all for today.
Hope to be back later in the week to share w/ you the other layout I made this weekend.
Hope you have a great Monday!
 

 
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For the following SB.com July Challenges:

>Movie - which I am hosting
Use a movie as inspiration
*INCLUDES TWIST - of using a movie about an animal

>Hoarders
3 Hoarded items
-"fantabulous" frame
-musical note PP behind the frame
-polaroid camera sticker
*INCLUDES TWIST of using epherema - mine is the Lion King playbill

>Sticker Challenge
9 stickers
-"remember" file tab (top left)
-self adhesive gold stars (5)
-polaroid camera
-gold glitter circle
-"today"
*NO TWIST

>Scrap w/ your scraps
1 scrap
-the musical note PP
*NO TWIST 
 
 

Monday, July 4, 2016

07/04/16 - MIM #63

Happy Fourth!
For those who celebrate...
For those who don't:
Happy Monday!
And more specifically happy "Make It Monday"!
Today the first sketch of July is up over at the "The Memory Nest" Blog.

We will actually have 4 sketches this month (instead of the normal 2).
The DT members do not need to complete all 4 sketches.
We were divided into 2 teams and each team is responsible for 2 sketches.
We are allowed to complete the other Team's sketches as well if we want to...
I would love to say that I will complete all 4 sketches...but being an over achiever has never been my problem, LOL.
I will try though.
But even if I don't complete the sketches I will still share them w/ you.

Today I bring you the first sketch that my team is responsible for:


"MIM #63"



"Bicycle Ridin'"
Journaling: "A bike ride around the neighborhood before dinner.
Moments like this make me happy!
05/30/16"

I love arrows as an embellishment! But I need there to be a reason for an arrow; I'm not just going to randomly add arrows to a page. My general  use for arrows on a scrapbook layout is either to draw attention to something or to indicate movement.
In this case I used arrows for both reasons: to point to the photo of me and my husband and because bicycles "move".
Despite my love of arrows and the fact that they work well for the theme of my layout...my creativity was lacking when it came to placing lots of them on my layout as embellishments like in the sketch.
While trying to figure out my options I stumbled across the PP I used for my background and thought "perfect"!

Sketches are a great place to find inspiration and inspired I was!
Hope you are as well and that you share your creations with us; you have until July 31st.



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Also included in the following July SB.com June Challenges:

>Music Challenge
Category #2 - Song Title
I used "Bicycle Ridin'" by Rune Meyer
(I googled Songs w/ Bicycle or bike in the title)
*NO TWIST

>Sticker Challenge
20 Stickers (Top Left to Bottom Right):

-Ticket stub w/ arrows
-Alphas/Apostrophe (13)
-Heart file tab
-Arrow
-"Having Fun"
-"Best Friends"
-Bicycle
-"You & Me"
*NO TWIST



>Scrap w/ Your Scraps
1 Scrap:
-Blue Turquoise circle
*NO TWIST 


> Hoarders Challenge
Everything on here, except for the arrow and the "You & Me", is a hoarded item at least a year and a half or older
*NO TWIST

Sunday, July 3, 2016

07/03/16 - "Beer Me!"

The other layout I made last night.
Layout #39 of the year:



"Beer Me"
 
 
Me goofing around when we went to see Chris D'Elia at the Ontario Improv on 05/07/16.

Main inspirations for this layout:
the SB.com "Before and After" challenge
(includes twist of using a prominent punctuation mark; I used an exclamation point).
and
the SB.Com "Food" challenge
(There was no twist given).


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For the following  July SB.com Challenges:

>June/July Four Categories
Category 4 - Theme: Before and After
*INCLUDES TWIST of a "prominent punctuation mark".
I used an exclamation point in the title

>Hoarders
Everything on here is a hoarded item except for the gold circles and the "remember this" stamp
The "circa" stuff is really old!!!
*NO TWIST

>Use Your Stickers
I used 41
-Alphas/Exclamation Point (31)
-Gold circles (2)
-"date" & "time"
-Journaling spot
-Red and beige w/ flowers (under first photo)
-Self adhesive flower
-Black swirls (2)
-Circle w/ star cut-out
*NO TWIST

>Use Your Stamps
1 Stamp Used:
The "Remember This" is a stamp (stamped on white paper and cut-out)
*NO TWIST

>Food Challenge
*NO TWIST - No twist given
 

Saturday, July 2, 2016

07/02/16 - "Miss You"

For those of you who do not follow me on Instagram, you don't know:
My dog, Ivanna, died on 6/20/16.
She was 18 years old.
I had her for the last 7 of those years.

She was my grandpa's dog and I took her in when my grandpa died.
I also took in another of his dogs, Daisy, but she passed a few years ago.
Although I was sad when Daisy died it was nothing like how I feel about Ivanna's passing.
Ivanna was my "baby".
Funny thing, until I met her I didn't even like dogs!
But I fell "in love" w/ her and apparently she felt the same about me and we grew to be inseparable!
Even though she was blind and deaf, both of those things happening a few years after we "inherited her", she always knew when I came from work and would seek me out the moment I walked in the door.
My husband always joked it was because of my "stink"...
But I like to think it was because we were so connected.
She ALWAYS wanted to be by my side and I tried my very best to accommodate that.
She was a spoiled dog for sure!


Her death was not unexpected.
For a few months leading up to her death she had been deteriorating and I had actually considered putting her down.
She was having all the signs of a dog at the end of it's life: beside being blind, deaf and arthritic she also had trouble walking and there were times she couldn't get back up when she fell down.
She was also having trouble w/ controlling her bladder and bowels and had some trouble breathing at times.
My husband had told me several times I needed to put her down and I knew he was right but I just couldn't; I wasn't strong enough!
She finally died while I was at work.
My son found her in the backyard and luckily it was my husband's day off so he was able to bury her before I got home.
I suffered from a lot of guilt because I wasn't there for her and also I was second-guessing my decision to not have had her put down; I felt like my weakness had made her suffer longer.
I was having a really difficult time w/ the whole situation.

A couple of days ago my son sent me 2 random photos of Ivanna he found on his phone so I decided to scrap them.
This is the first layout I created of her since her death.
Surprisingly I held it together emotionally while making it.
I think the guilt of not being with her when she died has finally (mostly) subsided and I realize that due to her condition in the months leading up to her death that she is actually "in a better place".
I miss her a lot though, hence the title of the layout.
I feel like there is so much more I want to say but am at a loss for words.
My love for her was tremendous and so is the sadness of losing her.




"Miss You"

RIP Ivanna - I love and miss you and you will always be "my baby".
XOXOXO



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For the following July SB.com Challenges:

>Scrap Your Pet
*INCLUDE TWIST of using the colors red, white and blue

>Hoarders
Everything on here, except for 3 of the buttons, is a hoarded item (over 2 years old).
*NO TWIST

>Stickers
Used 16:
-"I love my dog"
-Alphas (7)
-Self adhesive buttons (4)
-Hexagon
-paw print
-bone (in circle)
-view master
*NO TWIST

>Scrap W/ Your Scraps
1 Scrap - The blue diamond PP
*NO TWIST

03/27/23 Planning with Urban Journal Season Ink

My printer was having issues and I fixed it but during the interim I was not scrapping and lost my mojo ::le sigh:: But I've still been ...