Monday, February 29, 2016

02/29/16 - "Such a Good Boy"

Good Monday Morning to you!
I had a busy weekend!
Part of that busy weekend was creating (yay)!
I created 3 layouts and put the finishing touches on 1 of  the 4 art journal pages I made last week.
I shared that page w/ you yesterday: You Remind Me.
 
Normally on Monday I would either share a MIM sketch from "The Memory Nest" or share w/ you the art journal pages I made from last week's "Get Messy" prompts...
But since I was so busy this weekend I didn't get a chance to photograph all my art journal pages or write up a blog post.
I did photograph and write blog posts for all 3 of my layouts though... (told ya I was busy)!
So I am changing things up a bit this week and sharing those first!
(I hope to have my art pages ready to share later in the week).
 
Just a heads up...
I can only share 2 of the 3 layouts this week, because the 3rd layout is for next Monday's MIM reveal.
 
So here we go...
 
I created this for the "February Scrap Your Pet" challenge over at SB.com.
And I LOVE it!
 
The BG paper is a really old piece from my stash; from a "Fall Stack" back when I used to buy those big paper packs.
I don't buy them anymore because I never wind up using them all.
A lot of times they have papers I would never use and/or I get bored w/ it and want to move on to some new papers.
But I never threw it away... and I'm glad for that because I do find that some of the papers wind up being perfect for a current layout..like this one...
and the layout I will be sharing next Monday (see my MIM comment above)!
 


 
"Such a Good Boy"
Journaling: "Photo wise this guy gets neglected more than I'd care to admit...
But we love him just as much as the others! This ones for you, Spotty!
02/13/16"

(SB.com Link: Such a Good Boy)
 
 
IDK how old Spotty is... he came to us when my daughter was approximately 3 years old (she's 14 now). He became a part of our lives because my husband's grandmother's house burned down and she had to move into an apartment and couldn't take her dog.
It wound up being a good thing for Spotty because he wasn't... um... well taken care of at his original home (I don't want to elaborate). To give you an idea though, he didn't even have a name! My daughter named him... as I said, she was 3 at the time, so that's why he has a name that doesn't exactly fit him, LOL
It was supposed to be temporary but when we saw how happy he was w/ us and learned how "not happy" he was before, we didn't allow him to go back.
He has been one of our babies ever since.
 
He is a good dog but never outgrew his hyper-ness, even in his "older" age.
But as good as he is and  we are to him, I do admit I have a tendency to forget him when taking photos.
W/ the novelty of being the only cat (Panini), being an old, fluffy, fur ball (Ivanna) and being... well A PIG (Hamlet)... I'm always snapping photos of all the others...
And then there's Spotty...
I came to this realization one day while looking through my IG feed and felt so bad! So I have remedied that and have started taking more photos of him.
Better late than never!
And I think that these photos are absolutely adorable (I caught him in a rare, quiet moment)!
 

Sunday, February 28, 2016

02/28/16 - A Step-By-Step Art Journal Page Background


I'm not one to make a step-by-step post.
I don't think I do anything spectacular or difficult enough to require step-by-step instructions...
But...
Sometimes I'll look at other peoples projects and think "that looks great, but how did they do that?"
and it turns out to be super easy-peasy.
So I decided that I LOVE this page so much that I would include a step-by-step of how I created the background.

Journaling: "When I forget what Happy is... You remind me".
As a sufferer of depression sometimes I forget, but my husband always reminds me.
He is "my happy"
Inspired by @GetMessyArtJournal's
#SeasonOfHappy "

For those of you who thought it was easy-peasy even before I showed you the steps: "You were correct"!
For those of you who were wondering how to make this... "You're welcome"!

A couple of things I wanted to point out first:
1. I didn't spray directly in my art journal JIC I made a mistake.
    I didn't want to ruin the art journal or, at the very least, have to rip out any of the pages so I  
    just cut a piece of computer paper to fit my journal, which is basically the same kind of paper my
    journal is made of... nothing fancy, just a Target Dollar Spot Journal...

2. One of my craft supplies is NOT a craft supply at all.
    The heart is the top cover of the inside of a small heart shaped box of Valentines chocolate I
     received this past February 14th.  I went to eat one of the candies and the heart fell out and floated
     to the ground and my first thought was that I could "totally use that for an art project"! LOL!
   

Okay here goes:
Step 1 - Gather all your supplies
(Left to Right):
Sunburst stencil
Heart "stencil"
Misting Spray - this one is Red Pepper from Maya Road 
Paper cut-to-size
Black towel (so that any mist that doesn't wind up on the paper doesn't wind up on anything else!)



Step 2 - Layer
Black Towel
Paper cut-to-size
Heart  "stencil" (hard to see but it's there!)
Sunburst stencil



 Step 3 - Spray
As little or as much as you want...
This is my favorite part!


 Step 4 and 5 - Let dry and Separate...
 to reveal your pretty design!
Look at the cool design on the heart too...
I may use that for something else later!

Step 6 - Adhere to your art journal
And, if your like me, add some doodling!

Like I said "EASY-PEASY"!!!
and fun too!
And now that you have this cute little BG dress it up any way you like!

BTW - this page was inspired by the "Get Messy - Season of Happy".
I will be sharing more tomorrow during my normal "Get Messy" Monday reveal.

Friday, February 26, 2016

02/26/15 - "Get Messy Habit" Week #4

It's Friday!
You know what that means!
(Or maybe you don't!)


It's time to share an art journal page I created this week in order to keep my commitment to my
Get Messy Habit.

A reminder of what that is:
A group inside the "Get Messy" group.
As part of that group I have made a commitment to post at least one Art Journal page a week on a day I designate.
Friday is my day.

Here goes!
This one is kind of  silly, but the story behind it not-so-much.


"I Gotta Have More Cow Bell"


 
 
I've been really down about my job lately.
It's no secret that I don't like it...but lately it's been getting worse.
I have this overwhelming feeling that I'm wasting my time doing something I simply don't care about.
I have no drive or motivation any longer.
I have absolutely ZERO passion for what I do and honestly I cannot imagine having to do this for another 25 years!
But the thing is I need my job.
My husband is self-employed which means we are never guaranteed his paycheck... although for as long as we've been together we've never had an issue...  and he has no benefits now or for the future.
So I work to have a steady income and to make sure we have insurance and for OUR FUTURE.
As much as I would love to just walk out of my workplace and NEVER look back... I can't.
This makes me sad and makes me feel stuck.

What does this have to do w/ my art journal page?
This...
I was thinking, "Since I can't leave, what do I need to make my time here more bearable?"
Unfortunately I didn't come up w/ anything useful...
But while thinking,  the quote "I gotta have more cowbell!" popped into my brain.
Hahahahaha!
My brain always wants to veer to "the silly".
 
I googled photos of cowbells and used them as reference to draw my own.
And of course added the quote that inspired my page.
I used sharpies, stencils, and free-hand drawing for this page.
At first it was just the "cowbell" and the quote but I felt like it needed a little something more so I added the red lines.

Excuse the wrinkles... my art journal is a cheap Target Dollar Spot notebook that I absolutely love, but it gets beat up sometimes, especially since I carry it around w/ me.
Someday I may upgrade but for now, it works for me!

In conclusion...
My job may not get better but it did inspire a page I had fun creating!
And for now, that will just have to do.

Finally,  in case you don't know where the quote comes from, watch this:
 
And w/ that I leave you...
Have a good weekend!

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

02/23/16 - February "Ugly Paper" Challenge

Over the weekend I created a page for the February Edition of "The Ugly Paper" challenge over at SB.com.

I'm not sure if I explained the rules before so here they are (if I have, just ignore this part):
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


Before I share my layout w/ you I would like to show you the unaltered goodies that were sent to me:

February 2016 Ugly papers and Embellishments:


And now for my layout: 


Feb Ugly layout: "Back to Class (8th Grade)"
(click on image to enlarge):
Journaling: "This year Madison wouldn't let me take her photo on her first day of school.
The only photo I have is this one, taken after she had her hair cut and streaked, 4 days
before school started. 8.1.15"


The papers turned out to be perfect for Madison's 8th Grade "Back to School" photo. Even the embellishments, which really aren't school related, worked because she just happened to be wearing turquoise in the photo!

Because my daughter is not really "girly" I toned down the "girly" look of the page by adding some "grungy" school embellishments from my stash.
The grunge embellishments (the "Dress for Success" and "Back to Class"), the Project Life card and the "8th Grade" letter stickers are all 'hoarded' product...at least 4 years old or (the school stuff is WAY older!).

...
The "Ugly Paper" challenge is one of my favorite challenges over at SB.com.
The challenge really makes you think!
Normally you can choose from a large amount of supplies to find papers that coordinate w/ each other and the photos you're scrapping, but not w/ this challenge. Yes, you can add and alter, but for the most part, your stuck trying to make what's sent to you work together!

I've shared most (all?) of them before (here's my most recent shares): Ugly November (2nd layout),  Ugly December
But realized that I didn't share the last one I made and it was the worse set of papers I have ever received for this challenge!
So I'm sharing it today.
As before, I will show you the unaltered version first:
 
January 2016 Ugly papers and Embellishments:

Followed by the layout:
 

Jan Ugly Layout: "Jedi Pig"
(click on image to enlarge):
 Journaling: "Playing dress-up w/ Hamlet.
It's been so cold lately, I've been thinking of buying him his own scarf from a lady on IG
who makes piggy clothes, but first I wanted to test him out w/ my scarf.
He did alright...  I think he looks like a Jedi!!"
December 21st, 2015

I almost didn't complete the challenge. The papers were just too difficult for me to work w/.
When I first received them I thought "Now what the heck am I gonna do w/ these?!"
Then, a few days later,  in the middle of the night, I woke up to let my dog out to go potty and the idea of what photo to use came to mind. Funny to have a middle of the night epiphany about scrapbooking, huh?!
But it wasn't until almost the end of the month that I finally made the layout because even though I had a photo to scrap I just couldn't figure out how to use the papers.
It took a long time, longer than usual, to get this layout to come together!
In the end I thought it was just "okay"... definitely NOT my best work... but it grew on me.
I still wouldn't call it a "fave" but I now find it cute (in all it's ugly glory) but I'm sure the cuteness has a lot to do w/ the subject... Hamlet could make ANYTHING look good, LOL!


Monday, February 22, 2016

02/22/16 - Get Messy Week #3

Since Monday is the day that the new art/journal prompts go live over at "Get Messy", I like to share the pages I made from the prompt(s) that were given the week before.
 
We're always given 2 art prompts and 2 journal prompts.
 
I usually only have time to do 1 prompt (not 1 prompt each, just 1 prompt)...
And 1 page inspired by the "Season".
I wish I could do more but time just doesn't permit so I am just glad I can get something done!
 
Here are the pages I created last week...
 
This first one is based on a prompt:  "Use street art as inspiration..."
I can't give you the "whole" prompt, just a bit of it since the prompts are for members only, but at least you will get an idea of what I had to work with.
 
 
When I think of "street art" I think of the bright colorful spray painted walls of "taggers".
I realize that what we're seeing is considered graffiti, but I have to admit, a lot of it is actually really artistic! If only they would find someplace else to display their art!
 
To create my page I used different water color paints and a stamp that looked like dripping spray paint. I also found an "inspirational" looking/sounding word and stamped that above the dripping paint to look like the person sprayed the word and the paint just dripped down from it.
It's been years since I used water colors and I found it to be very fun and freeing!
I am definitely going to use them on future pages!
 
  
 
My second page was inspired by the "season".
A reminder... it's the "Season of Happy".
I saw this photo in the magazine at work (Yes, that SAME Magazine...LOL)
When I saw it I thought about how happy the woman looked and how her happy expression was contagious.
I Googled "happiness is contagious" quotes and found the one I wound up using on my page.
 

Journaling: "Be so Happy that when others look at you they become Happy too!"
 
Instagram link for both: Get Messy Week #3
 
 
I hope to eventually go back and do the other prompts.
I don't know how well I'll do since they provide 4 new prompts each week and I'm signed up for a year... but I'll try my best!

Friday, February 19, 2016

02/19/16 "Get Messy Habit" Week #3

Happy Friday!
 
"Yes", this is my second post in a week.
I know, I know... in my last blog post I said "once a week" but as I try to figure out what works for me in regards to posting on my blog and Instagram, I realized that I have a Friday Instagram commitment.
Since I will already be writing up a post for it, I decided I should share those posts here also.
 
I mentioned before that I am part of a group inside the "Get Messy" group called "Get Messy Habit".
As part of that group I have made a commitment to post at least one Art Journal page a week on a day I designate.
Friday is my day and here is my page:
 
 
"Your Love is Better Than Ice Cream"
"Today's #GetMessyHabit page includes a photo of delicious frozen treats
and song lyrics from Sarah McLachlan.
Supplies: Magazine photo, washi tape, (2) heart stickers, (1) "sweet" sticker, black sharpie, and adhesive.
02/19/16"
@GetMessyArtJournal
#GetMessyArtJournal #GetMessyFridays
#GetMessyDoreena
#ArtJournal #ArtJournaling
#IceCream #SarahMcLachlan
 
Many of the "Get Messy" peeps use magazine photos/type in their art journal pages.
I really enjoy the look of it!
I wanted to join in but I haven't had a subscription to a magazine in years!
Since you can find almost everything on the internet these days there has just been no need.
But now, after seeing the creative ways other artists are able to create w/ pages out of magazines, I'm thinking I may need to find a (cheap but good) magazine to subscribe to!
 
 
I happened upon the photo I used in my art journal page in the lunch room at my workplace. 
I was flipping through a magazine (the ONLY magazine) and when my eyes saw the colorful and delicious looking ice creams I was immediately drawn in!
Then, the lyrics to Sarah McLachlan's "Ice Cream Song" ran through my head.
That's when I knew I needed the page (yes, NEEDED) and I ripped it out and took it w/ me.
That same night I created the "photo and embellishment" part of my page, and the next day I wrote the journaling.
 
It was a lot of fun!
So, as I said, I think I need to figure out what to do about getting my hands on more magazines!
(Any suggestions would be much appreciated!)
BTW - I just realized I said "magazines" A LOT in this post! LOL!
 
 
On a separate but related note...
I still feel like I'm finding my place in the community and how I want to organize and share my creations w/ my followers.
 
For the first week of "Get Messy Habit" I shared a random page I created: Week 1
The second week I shared 2 pages: 1 for a "Get Messy" prompt and 1 inspired by the "Get Messy" Season: Week 2
This week it is a random page.
 
I like the random pages being assigned to my "Get Messy Habit" postings and my "Get Messy" prompts and 'inspired-by' pages having their own postings.
 
So expect to see more, separately, on a more consistent basis.
I truly hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoy sharing them!
 
BTW - Sorry for changing things around so much... but technically I have a year to get it right! ::wink, wink::

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

02/16/16 - "DeadPool Valentines" and Week2 of Get Messy

A round-up of everything crafty I did this past week that does not have to do w/ Design Team commitments.
I'm thinking this may be the way I share my pages going forward...
We'll see...
#Need-To-Find-A-More-Efficient-Way
#Work-In-Progress
#These-Arent-Real-Hashtags
#LOL
 
Seriously though I don' have time to constantly be writing blog posts for every layout/art journal page I create but I still want to interact and share w/ my Bloggy Peeps so until I figure out something better (or maybe this IS the best way) I'm going to try to limit my blog posts to once week, besides my DT posts.
 
This may mean that my blog posts will be longer, but... if you comment you only have to comment once a week instead of every time I post, so this is a "win" for you, my follower, as well!
 
 
 
Sunday 02/07/16 - Sunday 02/14/16
 
Scrapbooking:
02/14/16
"Deadpool Valentines"
Journaling: "Valentine's 2016
David and I don't usually celebrate Valentines but this year we did w/ a
movie, "Deadpool", lunch at Kabuki Japanese Restaurant, and
limited edition Chocolate Molten Starbucks drinks"
 
Not a great photo since:
1. I couldn't scan it because of the bulky embellishments  (the black on the sides is not part of the layout)
2. I took a photo w/ my cell phone camera, in low light, because it's currently 9 PM...
But you get the idea!

For 2 January Challenges:
1. Hoarded items
Everything on here, except the BG paper and the 2 gold hearts, is a hoarded item at least 3 years or older
2. SB.com hosted challenge: February Color Challenge
All the colors from the color palette are represented on here, plus some
 
Art Journaling:
 
Monday is the day that the new art/journal prompts go live over at "Get Messy"...
We don't have to do them.
If we do, we don't have to do them all, or in order...in other words there are no rules; the prompts are just there to inspire.
These pages were created last week:
>The page on the left was inspired by a prompt.
>The page on the right was inspired by the Season - #SeasonofHappy
  <------This IS a real Hashtag if you want to click on it...
 
 Journaling (Left):
"To Be Happy I Need These:
Family --------> Husband, Kids, & Furbabies
Hobbies --------> art journaling, scrapbooking, & reading
Coffee --------> Homemade and Starbucks
Sleep --------> nightly & naps
Fitness --------> calorie counting & steps
.Get Messy journal prompt Week2"
 
Journaling (right):
"Happy Un Birthday
Why can't our everyday be as happy as our birthdays are supposed to be?"
 
 
That's it for this week!
Thanks for stopping by!
 

Sunday, February 14, 2016

02/15/16 - MIM #54

Good Monday Morning!


The latest "Make it Monday" is up live over at "The Memory Nest".
Here is the sketch:

MIM #54




And here is my version of it:

"David Spade Date Night"
Journaling: "Date Night is not complete until... David Spade "likes"
your "Date Night " photo. 01/13/16"



You may notice...
It's a lot busier than the sketch.
Yes, it is! But if you look closely you will see how it follows it!
    1. 3 photos
    2. 3 half-circles (although mine are full circles partly covered up to mimic the "half-circles")
    3. Washi tape strips to mimic the "arrow" elements of the sketch
    4. The journaling tabs have an "arrow-like" feel to them to also mimic those elements in the sketch

I have to be honest: I tried to follow the sketch more precisely; I even printed out tiny versions of my photos. But, despite my love of negative space, it was just too much for me!
I guess I'll save "tiny" photos for my art journal.

It's okay though, because my version just proves you don't need to follow a sketch precisely to be inspired by it.
I like the layout and the sketch was a great starting point!

Don't forget to link up your layout:  precisely created or inspired by... by the end of the month to be in the running for a prize!

Friday, February 12, 2016

02/12/16 - Art Journal Pages

Hello, Hello!
 
Just stopping by really quick-like to share some art journal pages.
 
Below each image is the IG link in case you want to see it there too (the descriptions there are slightly different so might be worth your time...or not, LOL)!
On my IG account I include the link to my blog as well.
That's something I have to get used to; posting in 2 places.
It's weird and a bit difficult to have  people visiting you from two different areas.
I almost feel like if I don't write enough at either place I'm not giving people enough of the story behind what I do and why...
Any tips on that would be appreciated!
 
Anyway, here goes!
The first 2 were inspired by Get Messy and their "Season of Happy".
 
The first one follows a Get Messy prompt: 
The prompt was to create "a single line drawing of your happy place".
Although it's not a true replica of my home, it is a drawing of a house... and my house/home is "My Happy Place".
BTW - if you have never tried a "single-line drawing"  I urge you to!
It's more difficult than it sounds!
Used up some old scrapbooking supplies too!
I think the Art Journaling is really going to help me get rid of some of my stash!


This second one is inspired by Get Messy but not by a prompt.
It's just a funny quote that I saw online that has to do w/ "Happiness" which fits in perfect w/ the current Get Messy "Season".


IG Link to both pages above: Home and Money
 
 
This one has nothing to do w/ Get Messy; it was just one I felt like making upon my return from Vegas. A way of getting out a bit of my frustration so I didn't dwell on it. 
It worked! I felt much better after!


That's it for this week!

Oh, BTW - I joined the "Get Messy Habit" aka "GMH", group that is within the "Get Messy" group.
To be part of the "GMH" you must commit to create at least 1 art journal page a week and post it on the day you designate. I am choosing Fridays; that is why I am sharing today.
If you want to see my first "GMH" post, that I posted last Friday, click on this link: GMH Fridays


Thursday, February 4, 2016

02/04/16 - My First Post as a "Get Messian"

"Season of Happy"
Doesn't that sound nice?
Most people love the Christmas Season but I find it to be stressful, depressing, and expensive!
But a "Season Of Happy"? That I can totally get on board with!!!

The new season of "Get Messy" started on February 1st and it's all about the "Happy"!
In case your wondering, "season" for them just means the current theme of the program.
So basically all our projects are currently supposed to be inspired by the word "Happy"; however we wish to interpret it.
They even have "prompts" to help get your mojo started.

For those who are new to this "Get Messy" talk, read this blog post I wrote yesterday... which also has links to previous blog posts I've written where I mention them: I'm Getting Messy

For those who are confused as to what "Art Journaling" is and/or how "Get Messy" fits in w/ it here is a summary taken right from there site:
 
"Get Messy Art Journal is an art journaling program that is a school, art playground and family. We are a group of like minded art journalers who have come together under this art form to learn, share, practice our skills and push past our creative limits with hopes to inspire. Our community values consistent creating, encouragement and support and trying new things. We would love to have you join us as a member of Get Messy Art Journal."

Now on to my creations:

1) Not sure if this is a good or bad thing but first thing I thought of when I thought  "happy" was my fur-babies! TBH a big part of it had to do w/ the new stamp set I just bought:
 
The Pig, Dog (top right image of my page), and Cat stamps look just like my babies!
I already had the other Dog stamp (bottom right image of my page) which just so happens to look exactly like my other dog. How cool is it that I have stamps that look almost exactly like my actual fur-babies?!
I think it's very cool!
So with the stamps, some Target Dollar Spot sticker notes, and a sharpie, my first "Happy" layout was created!
 

Journaling: "Happiness is Furbaby love"
 
2) This is a collage of the sun, items w/ the sun on it, and things associated w/ the sun.
This came to be when I was digging through my scrappy stash and came across the sun sticker.
Sunshine makes me "happy"!
I hate cold gloomy weather.
 
 
 
3) It's probably obvious how my third page fits the theme, but allow me to briefly explain anyways.
My husband is a HUGE source of my happiness, it displays a photo of us on which we look extremely happy, and the word "happy" is in the title card.
 
Journaling: "Angels Game 8.17.15"
 
*Note -we ARE NOT Angels fans.. we just won free tickets.. So we went. I spent the game drinking alcohol and eating nachos so I didn't watch it... I think the Angels won... but I don't remember nor do I care, LOL!
 

4) Besides the fact that the word "happy" is on this page, I also used yellow.
Although yellow is not my favorite color, when I associate a color w/ "happy" yellow always comes to mind.

 
I actually started this page before creating the 3rd page I shared above.
I created the BG at work and it sat on my desk all day. 
I loved staring at that "little piece of sunshine"; it made me smile!
And right now I need every little reason to smile at work that I can find!!!
 
I had originally planned to fill the middle up w. the word "happy" in red alphas, but while looking through my scrappy stash found those pretty glittery yellow letters instead; PERFECT!
 
 
5) This one is a little less obvious.
Firstly you should know that I love circles in art! Don't know why, but ever since I was a kid I have loved circles and arches in art and architecture! 
My dream house is a "Hobbit" house, LOL!
 
So I started this page by drawing my favorite shape.
I felt the need to leave some empty space on the side, which turned out to be the perfect place to include a quote I stumbled across!
 
Journaling: "If you love someone put their name in a circle; because hearts can
be broken but a circle never ends" - Unknown
 
And (of course) I added my husbands name in some of the circles for a pop of color and to balance out the red journaling/quote.
 
Okay there you have it!
I had a lot of fun making these!
If you read my entire, super long post, thank you, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

02/01/16 - I'm Getting Messy


I have been so busy and thus so behind as far as blogging!

But I wanted to make time to share this.

Many moons ago I shared w/ you some pages I made for an art journal group called "Get Messy":
Who Am I,   Adventure,  Gratitude,  One Word.

I had a great time following their prompts when they were free, but then they changed the program and it required a membership fee.
No worries...
I get it, it's a business.
But I hadn't had enough experience w/ them to decide if I wanted to pay for a membership...
also remember, I am the self-appointed "Queen of Unfinished Projects".
I recently (within the past 6 months) discovered and started following them and some of their Creative Team on IG and I was really inspired again, not only to join but to really get into my art journaling!
I decided that I wanted to join.
I looked into it and saw that it was temporarily closed to new members.
Darn it!
Eventually they launched a "new and improved" version of their program and when pre-registration opened I saw that they raised the membership price...
Again, I get it, it's a business...
But as the "Queen of Unfinished Projects" I couldn't justify the cost... not without more experience.
So I was REALLY bummed about not being able to join.

Fast Forward a few weeks and one of the "Get Messy" Creative Team peeps that I follow on IG was having a giveaway.
The prize? A year long membership to the program!
So I entered, thinking there was no way I would win...
But, yes, you guessed it... I did!
Yay me!!!!!!

So I am now a "Get Messian" as they call us!



I wanted to share this w/ you not only because I'm excited but because I will be sharing lots of art journal pages that will be inspired by "Get Messy" and I wanted you to be aware beforehand what it was all about.

I have already created 4 art journal pages inspired by the program (and it just opened on February 1st).
But I need to get my butt in gear and photograph and upload them!! <--- Bad girl!

I will be doing that soon and when I do I will share them w/ you.
Excited about this new journey/experience!

Monday, February 1, 2016

02/01/16 - MIM Sketch #53


Wow has it really been a whole 2 weeks since I blogged?!
Time flies... especially when you're having fun!
And I definitely have!

I've been scrapping and art journaling and reading and spending time w/ my family, furbabies, and friends!

I'll be sharing more about all that in future posts...
But today I am sharing w/ you the latest "The Memory Nest" Sketch:

 
I loved it the moment I saw it but couldn't get to it right away...
Which was actually a good thing because about a week ago I wound up getting the perfect photo for it!
 
Journaling: "Celebrating our daughter's 14th birthday with her first visit to Universal Studios.
January 24, 2016"
 
I also had 2 brand new Scrapbook Circle.com kit's and some brand new Scrapbook.com goodies I hadn't yet dug into... (I've been doing a lot of scrappy shopping lately)!
 
The kits/goodies were also perfect for this photo!
 
BTW - if you're wondering why parents who live in Southern CA have never taken their daughter to Universal Studios until her 14th birthday... this is why:
Madison is not a big fan of amusement parks.
 
When she was younger she loved Disneyland and we would buy annual passes for her, and our son, every year. Eventually, as they got older, they both got tired of it. 
They wanted to go to Knotts Berry Farm instead so for a few years we did annual passes for Knotts which was MUCH cheaper (yay for us parents)! 
Eventually they also tired of that and we hadn't taken them to an amusement park in quite a few years (again, their choice).
But last year Universal Studios announced they were building a "Harry Potter Land" and since my kids are both big Harry Potter fans, they both expressed interest in going.
For Christmas we bought the whole family annual passes to Universal Studios.
 
Madison's birthday just happened to fall on a Sunday this year which is my husband's only "weekend" day off so we took her. Unfortunately my son had to work but he had been to Universal Studios twice in the past:  w/ me, before I met my husband, and once w/ his dad.
 
It worked out well... Madison got to experience the park for the first time doing everything SHE wanted to do since it was her birthday and her brother wasn't there.
 
She enjoyed it and is looking forward to going back, especially once Harry Potter opens in April!
We all are looking forward to April!
 
So there you have it!
Now it's time to share your layout, and story, with all of us at "TMN". Create a layout or card using this sketch and link it by February 29th to be in the running for a prize!
Good luck!
 

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 ...