Still Here, Weary, but Well

Has cold weather arrived for you yet?  I heard a rumor that we were down in the 20's this morning.  Have mercy.  I might just have to pull out a coat this week, which is unheard of for me.

Did you overeat during Thanksgiving weekend?  Surely I wasn't the only one.  I've now cubed the last of the leftover turkey to add to a slow cooker of homemade vegetable soup this weekend.  Did I mention I don't eat vegetables and have never tasted vegetable soup?  Chicken noodle and chicken & rice are my only soups, but hubby will take care of it sooner or later.  My freezer drawers and big freezer are running over with vegetables from my mother's summer garden so it's time to take drastic measures.

Have Christmas cards begun to arrive at your house?  The first came from our investment broker, then one with the newspaper the other day from our carrier and now one from my little brother & his wife.  Guess that means it must be time to shop for cards because we all know I'm not going to make them.  Me, making cards.  Yeah, that's gonna happen.

I've always displayed them on the front door but this year I'm going for something different.  Perhaps on the foyer mirror like this, or on the bannister like the first photo.  Decisions, decisions.

Tomorrow both my husband and my son will celebrate birthdays.  And you know the rules...nothing Christmas is displayed until after the hoo hah of the big day.  It's a rule.  Doesn't mean I can't think about it...just means I can't act upon it.

No doubt you've wondered at least once in recent weeks what happened to me.  I've been a busy bee in the laboratory, um studio, designing class projects for CHA in January.  Once again I've been invited to teach classes as well as setting up a demo booth and filming some quick technique segments for a manufacturer.  Hard to call it "work" when it's so much fun to dig around for supplies and unexpected elements.  There are bits and pieces of paper items, corrugated white cardboard, balsa wood, inks & other colorants, plus adhesives, and dare I say it, glitter everywhere.  Particularly glitter everywhere, and you know I ban that product from my home, so drastic times are at hand.

No sneak peaks I'm afraid.  Top secret, hush-hush type work.  Once these are complete it's time to finalize my convention submissions.  Deadlines just slay me.

In the midst of all this creativity there are changes afoot in the studio.  Hubby hired a handyman to work on my empty house in Garner and the man rented it for his family.  Great for them but not my pocketbook since a few minor repairs were required as a result of the last tenant.  They were in need of a table & chairs so I'm loaning them the one I originally used there, which has been stacked high with all my purchases from the last 2 years.  If you've been in the studio you know the farm table I'm referring to...the one with piles on it and under it when you first enter the room.  Don't ask me where I'm moving those piles because I'm clueless, but the chairs are already gone and the table will be this weekend.  Yikes! 

I also did a little shopping recently for paper, but not just any paper.  I'm talking 750 sheets that measure 28" x 40" and another 750 sheets of heavier paper that measure 25" x 38".  And then there's the pile of chipboard that measures 25" x 35".  Can you tell when I'm cooking up new classes?  And of course you know one of my farm tables is completely covered with all that, so once again, storage ideas are much needed but slow to arrive.

Next time you visit the studio let's hope everything has found a new home, out of sight!  And in case you're wondering, no, I don't see a holiday open house in my future this year...at least not one that includes the second floor.  Although I'm just dying to show off my new wool rugs and the new furniture layout and drapes, so we'll see...

Art Journals in Action

Last month our stamp club project was twinchies...2" x 2" works of art that we could incorporate onto the front covers of a journal made from a composition book.  The twinchies (which I didn't think to photograph yet) were fabulous...so much so that no one wanted to risk damaging them by adhering them to the front of a journal that would be tossed into a tote bag.  So I took one of mine since I had an extra and added it along with other pieces to create this fun cover. 

The red horse was cut from an IKEA postcard.  I included one of these in everyone's kit for the night.  Art is all around us if you just start looking, so whether its a cracker box, a frozen entree, or a magazine, take a few minutes to really look.  The phrase "live happier" came right from a magazine page.  I trimmed it down and sealed it with a piece of clear packaging tape, then mounted it onto blue cardstock.  Now that flimsy magazine page is sturdy enough to weather the storms I toss its way.

The "altered journal" came from words I stamped on different colors of cardstock, and the image of the art chick is from Zettiology. 

I used a punch to make colorful tabs for everyone.  Mine say Create, Appointments, Notes, Calendar, Travel, Food, Movies, Books, & TV.  This little girl is again from a magazine page that advertised detergent.  It had little blue dotted lines telling you what the stains were, so I simply trimmed the photo down and added my own notes, which of course would be colors of ink.

I stamped the phrases and added them around the page.  And as you'll see on the edge of this and all other tabbed pages, I wanted to give them strength.  I began by using a glue stick to adhere 2 pages together, then added the tab, and then ran a length of 3" masking tape, overlapping front & back of the edge.  On top of the masking tape I added decorative packaging tape with polka dots.  Too fabulous, yes?

This section of my book will include blogs & websites I want to check out, as well as notes to myself for class ideas or conventions I should investigate for teaching.

I know people are using their phones, etc for reminders these days, but I love the written page, so I devoted a section in my journal for appointments.  The watches were a magazine ad that I trimmed to fit and then added a transparency over the top that says TODAY.

My section for notes could have been my To Do List, or anything for that matter.  Just because these are the headings I came up with shouldn't keep you from choosing tabs that have more signifigance for you.

I included a section for monthly calendars and included a month-at-a-glance calendar for Nov & Dec of 2010 as well as one for each month of 2011.  Which means this section has 14 pages but that gives me plenty of space for making notes each month or even adding photos.

My travel section should probably have been much larger than the number of pages I allowed.  Goodness knows I'm always headed in a different direction.  Several of the pages behind this tab include stamped images as well as sections of maps, clip art of postcards, etc.  No matter what graphics I add to a page, the key is to leave room for my journaling.

The food section will be used in multiple ways.  I might jot notes about the restaurants where I ate the last 3 nights in a row, or perhaps I'll remind myself of some new tool I need for my incredible new kitchen.  The more I experiment with new recipes, the more I discover I don't have everything I need in the drawers and cabinets.  Tsk Tsk.

Sitting in the hospital Monday while hubby had his surgery, I made notes on this page, running my line all around the outline of hunky Tom Selleck.  Subsequent pages are also covered, but here's another shot from the TV section before I began using the book.

Clearly I subscribe to a lot of magazines, so I can tear out pages, trim down sections and make use of them in my book.  If you don't have magazines of your own, visit the local library.  We have a huge magazine rack and basket filled with donated magazines that are free at ours.  That's where I take all of mine when I'm through with them.  In fact, I have 18 on the back seat of my car right now to be donated today.

Books.  Have mercy.  Another section that could be a book of it's own.  I added the library pocket & tucked in a library card on the main page.  On subsequent pages I've already begun my notes on books I've read as well as a separate page for books yet to be read.  I can see myself adding extra pages in here.  Suggestions for that are easy.  Take plain white copy paper, fold the sheets in half and use a rubber band running down the fold and around the outside spine of the book. 

This is my movie section so of course I thought a popcorn bag was appropriate.  I gave all the girls one of these as well and showed them how to trim it down, fold it, tuck it, and create a pocket for ticket stubs. 

And finally, my little giraffe.  No relation to the art journal, but certainly a Happy Halloween for me!
I'll photograph my twinchies and post later this week so you can see the variety of talent.

Ya'll come back now, hear?

Older and Wiser and Still Laughing

Meet my mother-in-law, Frances, who just happens to be my birthday twin.  Well, 33 years apart, but still we were both born on the same day.  As I've done every year for the past 13, I chose to spend part of my day with her so we could celebrate together.  This year her sister Mamie Lois and her brother-in-law Charlie, joined us.  Charlie will be 91 in January and they've been married 62 years.  Can you even imagine?  Those two are real characters, not unlike good old Frances.  I hope to be as entertaining when I get to be their age.

This past weekend we were in gloriously sunny Myrtle Beach SC for a bit of fun, and I'm pleased to say we had a fabulous time.  Driving along Ocean Drive was wonderful but it was alarming to see so many homes for sale. 

On Saturday night we went to the Alabama Theatre to see The Oak Ridge Boys.  They're still as incredible as they were the last time I saw them, over 30 years ago.  How is that possible?

And on Sunday night we were back for the house show, ONE, which was spectacular.  The comedian Ricky Mokel is the reason we went and trust me, he did not disappoint.   At intermission we went out to the lobby and bought two of his DVD's, which he graciously signed for me.   Haven't watched them yet, but I can hardly wait.  Check him out on You Tube when you've got a few minutes to laugh.

Now I'm trying to figure out when I can get back down there to see their Christmas Show.  Performances begin next week and based on the regular show, I know it will be amazing. 

Yesterday I finished the last Dick Francis book, Crossfire, that was published after his death.  It was just as gripping as the first one I read, and re-read, and re-read again.  I own all his books and have read several of them multiple times.  Now I'm waiting for the last Robert B Parker novel, Painted Ladies, which features his Spenser character.  It's still hard to believe there won't be more books coming from these two incredible authors.

I still haven't found my skeleton to put out on the front porch, but I did find the witch's shoes.  And I made a few more Halloween purchases while in Myrtle Beach that are now displayed with all the others, along with the pansies and pumpkins.  Can't wait for Sunday night when all the little ghosts & goblins come calling.  Baby Jackson is supposed to be paying me a visit.  Squeals of delight will surely be heard all over town, so listen for me.

And if you're in the neighborhood, come on over.  The candy bowl is overflowing once again!

Celebrating Life

Many of you know that I attended the first Stampaway convention 18 years ago in Cincinnati.  Each subsequent year I've made my travel plans to get there, budgeted my money to have funds to squander, and revelled in seeing good friends year after year that I would only see at that show.

One of those friends was Mike Meador, owner of Coffee Break Designs.  He was a wickedly funny, quirky, joyful man that came up with such ingenious kits and products that I was instantly smitten.  Every year I would incorporate his products into my classes, sending all the ladies rushing to his booth on Friday night to clean out his inventory.  By the time I'd arrive he'd be all grins & smirks, pleased as punch with the crowds who'd descended on his booth, filling their little baskets with his loot.

Just last summer I designed 2 classes around his kits .  My Shadow Box Collage class, which has become my benchmark class at Stampaway, was created around his little chipboard towers as he called them.  The end result was so far from the ordinary gray chipboard that most people wouldn't have recognized them as the same product.

And my Whimsical Assemblage class used his ATC-sized Elevated Box Kit.  Again, I took them in a direction he'd never have gone, but he was tickled when I presented him with my samples and displayed them in his booth right up until he sold the last of his inventory.  (That happened on Friday night, so if you were in his booth on Saturday, you never saw them.)

I chastised him once for not replying to me in a timely manner and his response was classic Mike.  He informed me he was on "Mike time", as though that said it all.  And you know, it really did.  He was worth the wait, whether it was for a return phone call, an email, or my turn in line in his crowded booth, waiting for a chance to giggle with him for a few minutes.

He was adored by many people and I was certainly one of them.  I miss him more than words can say.  But I have a huge stash of his products in my studio and will think of him fondly with each and every creation I design using those goodies.

Love you Mike.

Fall is in the air

I celebrated my birthday last week with a trip to the fair, a steak dinner, and a movie.  (RED with Bruce Willis...fabulous!)  My mother-in-law and I share the same birthday so we spent 3 hours with her down East and had a "large time" as little old people say in those parts.  My husband bought me a Maxine birthday card that speaks, which drove the doggies insane, a cake with my favorite butter cream icing, and a helium balloon that says "Over the Hill".  That boy should be careful; all I'm saying.

We stopped by Mom's on the way to visit Frances and picked up two pumpkins for my front porch.  And there's the difference between city life and country life in a nutshell.  Her neighbor has fields of pumpkins and told her to take all she wants.  Here in town you pay for even the tiniest one.  I'm pleased to say I have 2 very nice specimens.  Now I have to decide if I want to paint them, carve them, or decorate them at all.

I love Halloween.  I've got my witch and black cat out on the porch already.  The witches shoes and the skeleton go up next. 

I've got 2 strings of those little jack-o-lantern string lights and ghosts to hang from the lanterns on either side of the garage door.  I've had bags of that spider webbing stuff that you stretch and pull and use in trees that I've been saving for years til I actually had trees large enough to use it well.  Wonder if this will be the year?

This weekend I potted pansies in the window boxes mounted on the back deck and also in a couple of pots.  I've placed one out front with the pumpkins but I might need a little something more.  My mums have grown so large in the rock garden along the side of the house that we've had to prop them up with a wrought iron door mat.  Unfortunately no one sees them but us and the next door neighbor. 

The bowl in the foyer is filled with Halloween candy...again.  And I dare say more shopping is in the cards since trick-or-treating is still 2 weeks away. 

My stamp club meets in the studio on Thursday night and we're swapping Twinchies, plus decorating composition book fronts with them before moving on to working inside the books.  It's going to be a fun project and I'm excited to see how everyone incorporates all the goodies I've been putting together for them.  Check back Friday for photos of the fun and the end results.  I'm betting we'll knock your socks (or boots) off!