Halloween Countdown

It's that time of year again. When I completely lose my mind with all the busy-ness of life. Baby Q turned 1 year old yesterday, Halloween is on Saturday, parties, parties, parties, then there is Thanksgiving, E's birthday and Christmas. Whew. I'm already into 2010.

Wait...I'm slightly ahead of myself...Back to Halloween. I made this Halloween Countdown calendar using Harmonie products for The Scrap Review because Halloween is almost as important as Christmas in our house and sometimes I just need to know exactly how many days are left until the big spooky night of complete and utter chaos.


Materials: Harmonie calendar kit, Harmonie acrylic stamps, Harmonie pattern papers (Bal Masque collection); 3L pop dots; Paper Studio chipboard fence; Ranger distress ink; StazOn ink, Sakura crystal lacquer; Sharpie pen

I love these little jack-o-lanterns. I added crystal lacquer to the eyes and mouths to give the illusion of light.


A close-up of my doodles.


Another close-up.


That cute spider is the key to this calendar. Each day she moves closer to Halloween! E was my hand model. She loves helping me with my picture-taking. She always holds my photo tent to make sure that it doesn't blow away. Really sweet.


I'm so excited that this project appeared on Scrap Scene today! Yeah!

I hope that you have a spooky and safe Halloween!

xoxo
Bethany

Happy Birthday Quinny!

It is hard to believe that just one year ago, this little man entered our lives. He fills my heart each day.


Even on those days when he throws Elyssa's beautiful bead necklace into the toilet.

Even on those days when he dumps the dog water for the third time and dumps the entire box of corn flakes on the floor.

But especially on those days when he drunk-baby-monkey walks into my arms. And on those days when he sucks his thumb and rubs his special pink, yes pink, blanket before he falls asleep in my arms.

Yes, my heart is continually filled.

I love you to bits Quinny.

Mini Halloween Projects

For my review on The Scrap Review, I made a few tags and gift bags. I used Harmonie double-sided stickers on these. Those things are really cool.


Materials: Harmonie double-sided sticker; Making Memories glitter; tag by Ali Edwards for Two Busy Moms (purchased ages and ages ago); unknown ribbon manufacturer



Materials: Harmonie double-sided stickers (Bal Masque collection); Harmonie buttons; Harmonie ribbon; Making Memories Glitter; stitching; my own mists; text page

Happy Halloweening!

xoxo
Bethany

Giveaway at The Scrap Review

My review of Harmonie is up at the Scrap Review! I'm so excited about this company. They are just really cool. Here's a layout that I completed using their products.


Materials: Harmonie pattern paper; Harmonie leaf stamp; Harmonie wood frame and strip (left-over from the calendar kit); Bazzil cardstock, my own mists; StazOn ink; American Crafts foam letters; Ranger distress ink, Sharpie pen

I did this with pics that I took of the kids rolling down the hill at a family picnic this summer.

Those leaves are a stamp, aren't they amazing?


My journaling.


Be sure to stop by because if you leave a comment you'll be eligible for a RAK of Harmonie goodness! You can't find this online yet so you'll be one of the first! Good luck!

Pencil Lines and The Next Step Collaboration

Today, The Next Step Designers appeared on Pencil Lines! We combined forces to bring you extra inspiration using Anna's sketch and the October theme at TNS: Tricks with Treats. Ever since I was a little scrapper just entering the online world, I've admired the Pencil Line's designers and it is such an honor to be appear next to them! I'm really all giddy with excitement.

Sweet is my interpretation of the sketch. I took eight pictures from Halloween last year and combined them to make this layout. Four of them, I digitally combined into a 5x7 (thanks to a great article in CK a few months ago!) and the other four I punched out using my Creative Memories circle punch.


A close-up of my journaling and embellishment block.


My doodling. That cool bat is a double-sided sticker by Harmonie that I glittered up.


Isn't that title the coolest stamp ever? I love it! It is from Harmonie, a Canadian company that I reviewed for The Scrap Review. (To be published tomorrow.) I seriously love their products. I also used their pattern papers and double-sided stickers for this layout.


Materials: pattern paper (dots, candy and lollipop), bat sticker, Sweet stamp by Harmonie; spiderweb paper by K&Company; felt pumpkin by Queen&Co; Bazzil cardstock; vintage Halloween house card; spider stickers by SandyLion; Sharpie pen; Unibal Signo white pen; Ranger Stickles; Making Memories glitter; my own mists; unknownmanufacturer of black ribbon

I've got a huge review going up tomorrow on The Scrap Review. I'm quite excited! Be sure to visit!

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

xoxo
Bethany

All Ready for Winter

It doesn't get too cold in Arizona so when it does, we really have to take advantage and wear our cool knit hats and scarves. I took this picture last year after the oldest 4 prepared for the freezing weather. I giggle at how wimpy they are when there is a slight frost in the air. (Keep in mind, I grew up in Illinois where it really is freezing.)

I made this layout using the My Little Shoebox Who Loves You line.


My journaling.


Once again, I'm dressing a bird. What is my deal? I think that I'm slightly obsessed. She is cute though in her scarf and skully. (Is that what you call those hats?) I love her wide-eyed, slightly surprised look, don't you?


Materials: My Little Shoebox papers, diecuts, chipboard letters, stickers, stitching.

Today, C, E and I decorated for Halloween. It was so much fun to see decorations that have been hidden for years. (Last year, I didn't decorate because a certain young Quinny's birth took up a lot of my free time.) As we pulled out witch hats, pumpkins and trees, it was like visiting with old friends again. Fun! I can't wait until the girls get home to see our work. I know they'll be thrilled too.

Happy Halloween Decorating!

xoxo
Bethany

Melody Ross Giveaway

I totally forgot to mention yesterday that you could win some of the new GCD Melody Ross line just by leaving a comment here. Good luck! My fingers are crossed for you!

Wings to Fly

Last week, I had an extremely very-close deadline. I'm talking about getting the product at 2 PM and having to turn something in by that evening. Since I only have 1-2 hours to create during the day (naptime). This made for a very tight time. I'm very proud to say, that the following layout took exactly 2 hours from start to finish (including 3 child interruptions, 2 phone interruptions, picture taking, picture processing and emailing it into The Scrap Review along with my review.) That, I must say, is a miracle. You can read the review here.


The challenge of creating on such a tight deadline and succeeding in such an endeavor was really good for me. It has given me artistic confidence. I learned a few things about myself along the way.

1. I can work really fast and still create a very detailed project. (Totally surprised me!)
2. I love embellishments. Give me one piece of paper and 10 embellies and I'm happy.
3. I love bright colors and natural themes. Butterflies, flowers and birds are totally my thing.
4. Circles. Wow. I love circles. (I knew this before.)
5. Sewing adds that special touch. (I knew this before too.)

Here's a close-up of one of my embellie clusters. To age the picture, I applied a vintage action that I purchased here. (Mindy was fantastic. I had serious issues installing the actions and she held my hand every step of the way. I will buy more from her.)


My titlework and sewing work. Oh and misting too. I love misting. (I think I've said that before.)


Materials: GCD papers, embellishments, cardstock; vintage lace and buttons, DMC floss, mists were my own recipe, Bazzil cardstock.

Lately I've been pondering a lot about my artistic path. Wondering where I want to go. Thinking about the paths that lie before me. Which one to choose? I'm learning so much about myself through these daily thoughts. I'm learning what I like and what I don't like. Giving myself permission to be okay with not liking things. I used to think that if I had trouble using a certain product that there was something wrong with me as an artist. I'm realizing now that this is simply not true. An artist doesn't have to do every style. She doesn't have to be everything to everyone. She has to find the style or styles that bring her joy and follow her happiness. Perhaps this seems like second nature to you, but for me this is a complete breakthrough.

I just finished LK Ludwig's Nature Journals and it has changed my entire perspective on my creativity. Her techniques are wonderful and so is her art, but what has really inspired me is her wisdom and her calming voice. I'm so incredibly inspired to get to those projects that have been calling me, but that I haven't gotten to yet. I'm inspired to play with my supplies not because I have to for a deadline, but because I want to experiment.

I've hesitated in my creative experimentation because I've feared. A little piece of me is afraid that through playing and experimenting I'll find out that there really isn't anything in me after all. Like I'm not really creative or talented. There is a little third grader in me that is terrified that the art teacher won't like her picture. He'll look at her drawing without saying anything. When she shows it to him, proud of her crow, he'll dismiss her and praise someone else.

I'm afraid of stretching myself. Afraid of risking because I might fail. It is so much easier. So much more comfortable to continue what I'm doing. This thinking, of course is silly. And I know it. But, I wasn't aware of this inner dialogue until just recently. And now that I'm aware of it, I'm ready to change it. Ready to hold that little third-grader's hand, smooth her frizzy hair and her ruffled heart and tell her that Mr. S is dumb and that some artists take longer to bloom than others. Tell her that in fifth-grade she'll draw a clown that will astound her. And in the middle of the night when she is in 7th grade, she'll draw a unicorn that is absolutely perfect. She just needs freedom and kindness and perhaps a little coaxing to be great. Then she and I will clasp our hands tightly and together jump off that scary cliff...

Only to discover that we had wings all along...

A Few Cards

I recently finished a few cards for My Little Shoebox. The first one is with the Who Loves You line. Love those little houses! This card came together very quickly once I had done all my fussy cutting.


Materials: Sharpie pen, Bazzil cardstock, MLS pattern paper.

Another quick card using the In Bloom line.


Materials: My Little Shoebox pattern papers, diecut and overlays, Unibal signo white pen, Fontwerks rubon, Bazzil cardstock, machine and thread

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

Random Questions

I have a very curious little person that lives with me.


He asks random questions all day long especially while we are driving. Some of these questions are about superheros: who is bigger, who is tougher, who can jump higher. Those types of things. On those questions, I do my best and if I don't know the answer we call Todd, superhero expert.

Some of these questions are about animals. If a crocodile can beat a horse, if a T. Rex bigger than a hump back whale, if a shark or a whale lives deeper in the ocean. You know. On these questions, I'm better. I know a lot about animals. But if I'm stumped, we call Uncle Ian, animal expert.

Some of these questions are about life. Why is that building so tall? Why doesn't our car have dark window's like everyone else's car? Why do trees grow? Very important ideas are discussed. The answers to these questions are usually that's just the way it is. I'm afraid Cam finds these answers the most frustrating.

I field so many questions in a day that I've almost gone on automatic.

Question. Answer.

Question. Answer.

Question. Answer.

But yesterday, Cam asked a question that made me pull the car over and write it down. I'm not a betting type of girl, but I'm willing to bet that this question has NEVER been asked in the history of questions. NEVER. It was so crazy that I really wish I could jump into his head, just for a minute, to see its origination.

Mom, if we were little guys and we were in a giant's mouth, would it be dark?

Yes, I believe it would, Cam.

Washing Hands

I think that every mother of a just two-year-old has spent mucho tiempo in the bathroom watching her little sweetie wash hands. Lyssie spent months washing her hands. She was the cleanest little girl on the block, I tell you. But, like all phases, this one ended before I could even blink. I'm so glad that I snapped these pics of her with her joyous hand-washing face.


My journaling.


A close-up of my flower. For some reason this picture turned out quite overexposed. I really like how it highlights the flower though.


A week or so ago, Erin asked me to do a little tutorial on my dimensional flowers. I actually learned how to do from Lucy Edson and Tricia Peever. So they aren't much of a secret and I most certainly cannot claim them as my own. However, I am more than happy to share the knowledge.

This is what you need to do.

1. Cut circles out of pattern paper. You can punch them or freehand them. I usually freehand them because I'm too lazy to get out my circle cutters. Your largest circle will be on the bottom so you can gauge how big your flower will be by that. The more circles you cut, the fuller your flower will be. For the above flower, I cut 6 circles in 3 different sizes.

2. With your scissors, working from the outside of the circle to the center, make snips. These will be your petals. You can make your cuts close together or far apart. It just depends on what kind-of flower you want. When I make my snips, I don't remove anything from the circle, I just make little cuts.

3. Spray your snipped circles with mist or water and scrunch them up individually to make them look like flowers. once they have dried, place the biggest circles on the bottom and the smallest on the top. You can hold it all together with a brad or you can just glue each layer on separately and glue beads in the center. It is all up to you!

I hope that this mini tutorial makes sense. If you need clarification, please let me know. I'd love to see your beautiful flower creations so make sure you leave me a link when you upload your projects!

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

Innovation

Perhaps you'll remember this photo from last December. I finally got around to scrapping it. Of course, I used My Little Shoebox In Bloom pattern paper because the colors are perfect for such a girly page.

I started by misting the background over a Heidi Swapp butterfly mask. I used two colors: gold and pink. It adds a softness that I really like.


Materials:
My Little Shoebox papers and transparencies, beads, Sakura pens, Sharpie pen; 7 gypsies paint, my own mists, Tattered Angels gold mist, Heidi Swapp mask, Maya Road lace; Bazzil cardstock, masking tape, sewing, text pages, coffee filter, colored pencil



I wrote my journaling on a misted coffee filter. It was initially supposed to be part of a big flower, but that project bombed and now I have various sizes of coffee filters lying around. I was surprised that my pen didn't run and ruin it, but it didn't! Yeah!


My title was just done by hand using Sakura pens and a Sharpie pen. I added some shadow with a grey pencil.

I'm having a really fun day today. I just received my November/December MLS package including some Shimmerz and ClearScraps products. Yeah! I think I might like the Sky's the Limit line even better than In Bloom (my favorite so far). I'm not sure, but it is pretty darn cool with all the clouds. I think I have a cloud thing going on. Ohh, what if I combined the flowers and the clouds? It might just be a slice of heaven...

Before, I was interrupted by UPS, I was working on a few large (11x14 illustration board) backgrounds. I'm basically just slapping on paint, stamps and whatever else I can grab. So far, so good. I'm excited to see where these backgrounds take me. I've never worked on such a large surface so I'm swimming in uncharted territory. I'll keep you posted.

As if that isn't enough for one day, I found out this morning that my Gum mini album made the catwalk on SIStv. Exciting!

Only one bummer, I am down to only 1 sheet of white 12x12 cardstock. It may be an emergency. I suppose I'll have to make a trip to my LSS to stock up again. Darn. (giggle)

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

So Liberating

It has finally started cooling down here in sunny Arizona. I turned off the AC this last week and threw open the windows. There is something magical about the fresh air. The house smells amazing and my creative juices are on overdrive.

Lately, in my work, I've been experimenting with paints, mists, color and designs. Because of the unpredictable nature of working with paints and mists, I find my creative process to be loosening up. I don't necessarily have an end in mind. The piece just flows together which makes is so much more me. At first, it was a bit scary to just sit down and create, I'm normally a very organized, predicable person. But now that I've done it a bit, I'm finding myself less anxious about making a mistake. So liberating.

In case you're wondering, I've been making my own mists: mixing water, distress reinkers and various pigment powders that my mom generously gave to me for Christmas many years ago. (I wasn't ready for them then, but I am now!) It has been so much fun. I can't seem to stop. My mist bottles are starting to spill out of their neat little container and require more space.

Here is a layout that I recently completed for My Little Shoebox with the new In Bloom line. I seriously love this line. The flowers and colors are so pretty and so versatile. These photos were taken at Dani's piano recital last May. I love how the photographer captured her emotion as she played with her whole soul.



My inspiration piece in this layout is that gorgeous vintage ribbon. I've had this ribbon for ages and just now incorporated it into a project.


The My Little Shoebox transparencies were a little too stark for this layout so I inked them with my new light pink alcohol ink. It toned down the white just enough.


My journaling, as you can see, is in the swirl. (A Tim Holtz mask.) The bright colors surrounding the swirl are Sakura pens. They are so fun!

Materials: Bazzil cardstock, my own mists, My Little Shoebox papers, diecuts, transparencies and sticker letters, Tim Holtz mask, Sakura pens, vintage lace, Maya Road felt flower

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

ScrapStreet

This month, The Next Step was featured in ScrapStreet! I was so excited to be asked to contribute a project based on our theme: Tricks with Treats.

I made this mini-album using the packaging from 6-feet-of-bubblegum. The photos are from a fun day that I spent with the sweeties at the Desert Botanical Museum.


I took a photo of each of them with me which makes up one side of the little (2 inch in diameter) disks. The other side contains journaling of each child. I cut out the numbers from the My Little Shoebox line: Robots Unplugged.

Here's a close-up of the front cover.


Here's a close-up of one of the journaling spots. This just happens to be Cam's.


This little album is one of the sweeties' favorites because the little circles are perfect for their fingers. I could see this idea as an ABC album too.

Have a great day!

xoxo
Bethany

Queen of Hearts

I totally spaced posting my Next Step project from last month: Queen of Hearts.

My technique was embossing on regular aluminum foil from the kitchen. You can read all of my directions and materials (which turned out quite extensive!) here.


Because I am the Queen of Multitasking, this is only one of a handful of projects that I've done completely for art's sake. Normally, I do pieces like scrapbook pages and altered projects that have a purpose other than simply beauty. Although it was a bit unnerving, I enjoyed it. I will have to do more in the future.


Sometimes it is really refreshing to focus totally on the task. Not to think about anything but the moment. This project did that for me. I felt refreshed after I completed it. That's a great feeling.

Sometimes

Sometimes a girl just needs a little peace while cleaning and organizing her studio.

So she bribes the crowd with popsicles and drives them outside for a few minutes.

Then this pathetic scene appears at the door.


Please Mom? Please can we come in? Please?

Poor poor children....

Dinner Last Night

I'd say the boy likes tostadas...


Whatcha think?