Still Searching for Myself

I found my art journal the other day.  It was buried on my work table which is decidedly too small a space for working AND allowing in progress things to dry and/or marinate.  A re-design of my space is in progress.  :)  

Flipping through, I found this spread from May of last year.  "You can be who you want to be….and it doesn't have to have a name.  It doesn't have to be defined.  It is You.  At your core, your center, it is You."  Hmm.  Sage advice I'd given myself, and yet I am still struggling, still trying to construct a definition.   

I need to put that torch down.  I need to answer "Who Am I?" with "I Am Me."

"Me" is answer enough, though I can always continue developing, evolving, and emerging into my me-ness.

This bit of blue paper that I made into a pocket for my journaling was piece of a two part experiment.
Part One was to draw and cut out the "girl version" of the paper dolls seen in the Amy Tangerine washi tape there, with the connected hands and feet forming heart shapes.  Part Two was me wondering how bleach and colored paper would react.  I mixed some bleach and water in a spray bottle, laid the paper dolls down as a mask, spritzed and waited to see what happened.  I like it!!

I know that my art journal is a pivotal part of my self-discovery process.  In finding it, I feel I found a piece of me.  A forgotten piece, literally buried beneath a bunch of "have-to's", projects for others or for purposes other than play.

How completely perfect that it resurrected itself today, on Easter Sunday.  :)

Happy Spring!  Thank you for visiting!

Today's Post Brought to You By…

...The Letter "R"

I've always been a HUGE fan of Sesame Street, hence the title of today's post.  Why the letter "R"?  Well, when I came up with this idea for an off-the-page project for Remember When, I decided "R for Remember When" was a good candidate.

R is a lovely balanced letter from a monogramming  standpoint:  It's as heavy on top as on bottom, has vertical, round, and slanted lines, and has complete as well as broken horizontal elements to carry a design across, both directly and suggestively.  

Paper: My Mind's Eye Collectable "Remarkable"

To construct the letter, I printed out a bold "R" in Arial Black font at size 800.  I traced it onto a piece of 12x12 chipboard, which was actually the backing of a stack of scrapbook paper.  From a thinner, flexible piece of cardboard (the back of an old spiral notebook) I cut 1-1/4" strips and glued them perpendicularly around the edge of the R, creating a 3D block letter.  

While a coat of blue paint dried on the finished R, I punched a bunch of 1-1/4" circles from the papers and curled one side of each around a pencil.   I glued the flat edges in a scale pattern on the front. 

I think this would look cute on the mantel of some R-named family, or on a bookshelf in an R-named kid's room.  I wonder if Jeremy would mind if we changed his name to Rob, Randy, Rick or Rafael….   

Thanks for visiting! :)

You LOVE Me

Look at that face!  (I pronounce it "faysh" cuz he's got those cheeksh! Shoh cute!!)  I think Jeremy is about two in this picture.  It's amazing to think this was about a dozen years ago.  One of my favorite stories/memories of this time was our tender mother and son moments.  I'd be holding him on my lap or carrying him and just ooze out, "I love you!" to that little face!  And he would tenderly lay his hands on either side of my face, look me deeply in the eyes and reply, "You love me."  Lol!  Not the response I was expecting, but TRUE, nonetheless!   I'm not sure when he came to verbalize a reciprocal love for me, but I adored this response while it lasted.  :)

I exclusively used My Minds Eye "Collectable" "Remarkable" line for this layout, as it was another Design Team project for Remember When.  Everything, including the washi tape. Oh, but the stamps are from the "Collectable" "Unforgettable" line.  And the yellow bakers twine, while also from My Minds Eye, is from their "Indie Chic" collection.  I decided to handcut the title and gave it a little dimension by sewing across and gently "fluffing" the letters away from the background. 

My inspiration:  this layout by Michelle Hernandez
(known about my house as "Brooklyn Girl" and around the web as WillieburgScrapper, though her star
 is fast rising, and I can probably just start calling her Michelle Hernandez, no aka needed!)

Such a great stamp set.  All of them in the collection, really.  I want them all!  Shh, don't tell Mike, but I bought a second one while I was at the store "just looking" the other night. ;)  But, at $6.99 retail, how could I not???

And, here is my journaling.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  I have another "off the page" project that I made with these lovely papers that I will share with you later this week!  The paint is drying!  ;)

Have a wonderful day!!

Bo Bunny Wreath

Along with the "A Proper Lady" layout, I also made a wreath using the 

Bo Bunny C'est La Vie line,  inspired by this tutorial.  

I tucked the remaining bit of Maya Road Satin Scallop Edge trim between two rows of random pieces of accordion-folded 6"x2" pieces of paper.  The brown trim hides all my staples, and the leaves were hand drawn, cut out, and tucked in round about.  The flowers are from a spray by Prima.

Adding the large sticker, "Everything happens for a reason," to the center was an afterthought, and I think really makes the piece.  And, I love the tiny "listen carefully" sticker, a reminder that perhaps sense can be made of even the most senseless of happenings if only we tune in.

Maybe Jillian would like hanging this wreath in her room after it's run on display at Remember When.  I'll keep you posted on what she thinks! :)

Thank you for coming by and seeing what I've been up to!
Have a great weekend!

A Proper Lady

We have a lovely little tea room in town, The Tea Gardens, where we like to go every once in a while for a light lunch or afternoon nibble.  Jillian meets up with her girlfriends there on occasion, and has recently shared that she could picture herself being the proprietor of such an establishment, her art on the walls, her love of tea brewed into each pot, an eclectic assortment of elegant china, fancy little handmade sweets and savories.

I have a layout to share today that I made for Remember When, my local scrapbook store.  I was assigned Bo Bunny's new C'est la Vie collection, and well, was kind of stumped by all the patterns and girliness, the number of colors in the line which, on the one hand makes it very versatile, but on the other made it a bit overwhelming for me.  But, the papers also reminded me of my Jillian.  :)

I decided a try at monochromatic was the ticket.  I used Prima chalk inks to pink-i-fy the edges of some white Petaloo flowers, and used some beautiful petal-ly scalloped trim from Maya Road to create the large pink flower.

I think I need to sneak back into the store and add a few more details to the layout.  Maybe a seam-binding bow on the tag, and a doily edge peeking out of the right hand side.  I generally don't go back and re-do things--life is too short.  But, it just seems like something is missing…...

One of the pretty brads from the Bo Bunny line in the center of the pink flower, and some penned outlines on the chipboard letters to help them stand out a bit. 

I'll have to do a post sometime with a photo montage of Jillian's fashion style.  She really has a unique look, puts together such cool outfits, and loves poufy, flowery, feminine things.  My princess. :)

Fo' Shame, Faux Shame

Yeah, if I made a scrapbook layout about it AND I'm posting it on the blog, I guess I must not be SO ashamed of myself.  But, I do admit that I surprised myself.  Something blurted out before I even thought to censor it, and I immediately clapped my hand over my mouth in shock.

Then I laughed.  Then I wondered, "Crap--maybe that was the real 'me'!"  I wasn't late, or in a foul mood, or PMS'ing…I was just….mean!  Then I thought of all those people from my youth writing "Stay Sweet" in my yearbooks year after year, and how I'd likely let them all down.  Lol!

Sorry, elevator-misser.  Better luck next time--and by that I mean, maybe I won't be ahead of you.