Dare 161

I love when everything comes together and you are just on fire (that'll be funnier in a sec) to get a LO done. I could have posted this last night, but I wanted to let it rest for a while. I still think the big photo needs to be worn down a bit; that's in lesson 5...LOL:

The flames are brushes downloaded from Obsidian Dawn (gradient designs) and the tracks are from DesignFruit (Electrosketch). The spray paint title was in Lesson 3 and the washi tape frame (which I mistakenly called wasabi frames....tooooooo funny!...that'll teach me to type/concentrate while being constantly interrupted by my 8 year-old late in the evening!) is from Kitschy Digitals. It all seemed to fit the "skateboard graphics" challenge in the dare, but what do I know, being an old lady and all ;)

Oh, and I used the delightful 1970s Summer action from Johnna (again), only I left the color in it this time. The oranges are perfect!

This is what I love about digi scrapping: I can carry all the supplies I need with me, to Tess's dance class, storytime at the library, etc. etc., not make a big mess, and finish up while I'm still feeling on fire about my project.

It's that happy time of year again...

GARAGE/RUMMAGE SALE TIME! Whooooo! After the MOPS Mom-to-Mom sale on the 17th (where I cleared $49, and only spent $34...hmm...that doesn't sound as impressive as I thought...) I had my original $60 in change I made at the bank. I hung on to it for the week, and spent it all this past weekend.

Here was one of my best finds (besides an insane amount of spring jackets for this guy...he's covered until he's 8! LOL):

Four bucks. Got a tub full of Hot Wheels playset parts...some have proven impossible to track down layout ideas for, but the center piece of this one (motorized with wheels that shoot the cars through the track system) had words, which made it easier to figure out: Criss Cross Crash. One view of a retro commercial and I had it figured out. Only had to cut an extra piece of black track (which has rendered it useless to any other track layout we may have pieces of, but hey!) we've got HOURS of amusement for the boy (and, quite frankly, Mom, too. Always wanted race car tracks when I was little. And to play baseball, but that's a story for another time).


Working on a LO (of the scrap variety) as we speak...more on that later ;)


Still on Lesson 3 for my GIS class, but I've been having fun with some winter photos. Go figure. Spring is here and yet I felt compelled to work on this:
New brushes from DD...and a new font from Fontscape that I LOVE: Chicago House trial (title). This is an old Pencil Lines sketch, too. I love that they give you a digi template to use with their challenges! Sweet.

Here's one last weird one I worked on this weekend. Everything is from Studio Calico. Back in 1998, I did a production of Brigadoon. Backstage, the guys at that particular playhouse had a Single Malt Scotch Lovers Club. They opened up membership to anyone who wanted to donate a bottle or two for after performances. I had the chance to try a LOT of different single-malts (in moderation, of course), and I settled on Balvenie as a particular favorite of mine. I've been raving about it to any single-malt friend I've met over the past 12 years, and FINALLY our buddy John B. took my hint when he and his family were house guests this past holiday season. Hee.

Honestly, all I ever drink at one time is about what is in that glass. About half a finger, see? And I still have left in the bottle what you see here. Scotch is a winter drink ;) to be sipped by a roaring fire. Neat, no ice, thanks.

Hopefully you don't think of me as a total lush now.

Parisian Dreams

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love everything PARIS (and no, not the hotel-chain, trashy-socialite one, either -- LOL). So when I saw this new kit from Pouyou, I HAD to have it. And I HAD to sit here while watching the new GLEE(EEEEEE!) and put together a little inspirational LO:

Now, this is not my usual "style." I'm not into what's known as "fantasy" LOs...those dreamy creations with teeny-tiny pictures and no journaling. Not that I don't admire them as works of art, they just aren't...me. I like words, LOTS of words, The Story, if you will. But just a few hints of what Paris means to me, and the fact that the large photo is my desktop background, pretty much tells it all. Despite the fact that I have never been to Paris. Yet. That magic 3-letter word: YET.

The top painting is -- I believe -- by Cocteau (I scanned it right after I bought the page out of an old magazine at the library book sale...hey, it had La Tour Eiffel in it, so I had to have it!). The portrait is of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, the epitome of the Lost Generation in Paris. Everything else -- except the journaling spot -- is from Pouyou's gorgeous, LOADED kit. The journal spot is from Kate Teague at 2peas.

Okay, I'm falling behind in my Digital Techniques for Art Journaling class. Ben has preschool tomorrow so I will take my laptop with me and catch up. Enough Parisian dreaming for today...

New Challenge group

Michelle sent me over to The Color Room, and a quick question to them proved they were willing and able to handle digi entries, so I had a chance to use my new Mermaid kit (see yesterday's entry) to put this together!


Lots of SIStahs over there...since nobody seems to be at SIStv anymore...sniff. I've been participating in ATC swaps at SIStv, even hosted one myself, but the crowds are just not there anymore.

I know some friends have even stopped posting in the galleries there, and post only to their blogs, which makes sense...even I get confused as to where I've left my creations, and what challenge they were for, etc. etc. Having them in one definite spot (your blog) makes great sense, and not just marketing-wise if you're in the scrapping game for the "biz" side of it.

I have been struggling with how to organize my digital scrapping supplies. After an experience at one "name" outlet for supplies, I'm tempted to put things in folders by manufacturer. I have quite a few freebies, and they need to go in a separate folder...since no one is impressed with what you do with them (JK). For the Merkids LO, I used primarily Designer Digital supplies, with one exception - a freebie brush from 2peas (admittedly, NOT my favorite site to post creations).

But for now I will leave things as they are: by kit, papers, templates, brushes, frames, masks, and "random elements." Creating a shortcut on my desktop helps me get to them quickly (ditto for actions...something I learned from the CoffeeShop -- LOTS of good advice and tutorials over there).

Spring Fever

My creative juices are flowing again. At Friday's crop, I finished up the journaling for my holiday layouts. The last couple of years I've done a mini album to commemorate the Christmas season, but this year I had all these extra Lickety-Slip pages - in fact, just enough - to put all my 4x6 holiday photos in order, with room for 4x6 title/journaling blocks. They aren't anything fancy, so I haven't taken a photo, but that is 2009 put to bed - always a good feeling.

Last night we had friends over for ping pong, so late in the afternoon I had a big mug of coffee...it kept me digi scrapping until 2 a.m.! I had to try Pattie's lesson #1 again - art journal backgrounds are just not my fave thing to create, I guess - before moving on to lesson #2, which was posted Thursday.

In this class we learned to make silhouettes from photos. Now this I really liked. I only got halfway through the lesson before I was off and running with an idea for an 8 1/2 x 11 layout for my son.

The black paper I put under my silhouette layer had the swirl on it (Cali Cool, by Valerie Foster) and I added other paper from that kit to pull it together. The title font is Book Jacket (a new fave of mine), the journaling was done in American Typewriter.


I used a photoshop action from Johnna -- 1970s Summer -- which turned the photo orange (without waiting 40 years! LOL) and added a flare (above Ben's head). I turned it B&W to be less distracting and put one of Katie Pertiet's deckled vintage frames behind it.

Speaking of Designer Digitals, they are extending their anniversary sale through 6 a.m. EST Tuesday. They have the CUTEST Dragon Trainer kit (I passed...it was HARD) and the most beautiful mermaid art kit that is perfect for me to finish up our Florida photos.

Just go to their "specials" page to see all 46 new items. And no, I'm not getting any kick backs from them, LOL. Just loving their stuff right now!

Easter Break

I'm looking forward to summer break. No, really...the weather has (up until today) been gorgeous & the kids have been outside playing...together! I'm taking the Digitial Techniques for Art Journaling class over at GIS and it's been challenging but fun (and very addicting...)

This is *not* part of the class, just a little digi LO I did after visiting the Spraground and (finally) taking advantage of their $1 Wednesdays...plus a few things in my (ahem) Wish List...now I really must be good for the rest of the month!

I love that they carry Kitschy Digital products there (and at 2peas...alas, that's where their digikit link takes you)...I've been slowly filling up my wishlist with Danielle's products...had to keep it to one with all the other goodies I was itching to get my hands on. Oh, how I would love to take the Art of Digital Design class over there...umm, let's see, $275 class fee and OH BTW, you HAVE to have Photoshop Creative Suite ($600+), none of this wimpy PS Elements, apparently. Ah, in another life...

Then I got an email from Digital Create (a French site...but they have an English version, whew). Cute sunflower set and I was surprised after all that I bought, 4 Euros turns out to be $5.28. Whoa! Can you say worldwide recession?! I thought for sure I'd have to at least double that. Dangerous to know...so many beautiful kits over there...

Seriously, how cheery is that?! I had sunflowers pop up in my front garden last year that I never planted (thanks to area chipmunks, and a neighbor whose finch feeder -- full of black oiled sunflower seeds -- they like to raid) and I'm hoping some of them come back again this year (we've already spotted the chipmunks). We even sat on the porch and ate the seeds right off a flower head late last summer...mmm.

Here's to thinking warm thoughts...the weather has grown cold again...just when I uncovered a corner of our back garden...the corner where the strawberries are spreading like wildfire. Here's hoping they hang on!