tangentsandcuriosities

2010-11-29T16:37:00.000-08:00

I have a towering stack of magazines that I cannot ever seem to widdle down. Whole volumes of Somerset, Cloth Scissors Paper, Artful Blogger...not to mention all the House Beautifuls, Real Simples, & other assorted mags. So in the spirit of organization, I'm making myself recycle! (But not before pawing once more through each one & pulling out those gems of inspiration!) Here's the cover of the scrapbook inspiration. This slim volume holds my favorite pages from 25+ magaines! Yay!!

thankful grateful blessed joyful glad

2010-11-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

I had a tin of old plain milk caps that my mother-in-law gave me a while back, and thought I'd challenge myself to use up as many of them as I could...Thanksgiving garland! I covered the caps with 5 different patterned papers, punched them, and joined them with jump rings. Then added thankful grateful blessed joyful glad along the length of it, accompanied by some gems and butterflies. I think this is going to become a holiday-by-holiday project! I've already started the Christmas and New Years garlands...

supplies: cardstock> Neenah. patterned paper> Cosmo Cricket, BasicGrey, My Mind's Eye, DCWV, Scarlet Lime. punches> Marvy. font> Typerwriter Serial Xlight. adhesive>Xyron. other stuff> ~65 vintage milk bottle caps. jump rings>Making Memories, Blue Moon. gems> My Mind's Eye. butterflies> Jenni Bowlin.

Paper beads

2010-11-10T16:43:00.001-08:00

Here is my take on the fabulous bead cuff from Copy + Paste. Mine has some quirks: the bicones might be slightly too small for the ends of each bead. My wirework is something to be desired on the straight end. However, I loved making this project. The vintage book pages have a magical lustre when glazed, and it's a very cool-looking accessory. Thanks Kirsty & Julie!

so many possibilities!

2010-11-06T16:50:00.001-07:00

From the class series over at Copy + Paste, my first of *many* covered journals. I had a little stockpile of blank journals, but not for long. They are getting dressed up & customized for some friends. Easy, and very charming. I'm off to make the project that appeared in this morning's classroom; so inspired!

Jump Start

2010-10-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

The wonderful girls at Copy + Paste are having a 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Class, and I've signed on for a little inspiration & clearing of the decks. We get to "shop our own houses" and to play along, here's my questionaire answers. How many days till Christmas?? 1. It would be amazing if my house was a shop like ...Anthropologie meets Goodwill treasures. 2. But at the moment, it's more like...a bookshop meets Lego Store. 3. The best stocked area of my house has to be...the boys Lego dept., the bookshelves, and my craft area. 4. But I'm not sure I would take stock of my...Christmas ornaments. 5. I could actually open my doors and sell off most of my...fabrics & sewing notions {and paper in general, but I never EVER would sell!}...and I'd still have plenty left over. 6. If I could go shopping in someone else's house I'd choose...my mother-in-law! 7. With the money I'd save by shopping at home for my supplies, I could buy...more paper :) 8. During this class I hope to "buy"/revisit/finally use my stock of...paper milk bottle caps. 9. The best thing about shopping at home will be...making space for new stuff! 10. Shopping at home will mean I can get away with wearing ...comfy-est yoga pants with the little bleach spot & bare feet...which I'd never dare go 'real shopping' in!

Apple Jacket and the Quilt part 1

2010-06-07T17:47:00.001-07:00

First, the Apple Jacket: is this not the most whimsical use for a half-ball of left-over cashmere?! You can find the pattern here, or go through Ravelry.com. It only took me (me, the s-l-o-w-e-s-t of knitters!) a couple hours. And that's because I completely free-handed the leaf. It's kind of early in the year for apples, but perfect for protecting them in backpacks and handbags. Next, I'm starting a quilt. It's my new family job at the 4 yr old's nursery school, and I'm so happy to have a creative job after 3 years of more email-oriented ones. I'm making sketches, and have a game plan. I've chosen a color scheme, but alas, must go fabric shopping. The quilt will be raffled off at our Spring Auction in March 2011. I think I'll be very sad to see it go, but it's all part of the process. I've got about 7 months to sew and quilt something that represents our community, therefore I'm using a house-theme, surrounded by natural elements. It'll be bright and quirky. Come back soon for more!

embroidery floss?

2010-04-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

Do you stitch? My first craft was embroidery, taught by my grandmother. She gave me a little printed sampler in a small plastic hoop, and showed me a few stitches. I've always used the DMC floss, but sometimes I see samplers with really luscious, thick floss, and I'm wondering if people have recommendations. I saw a snippet from Teresa McFayden's blog, and am *so* imspired by her mixed media sampler. Time to dig out that hoop!

Dover Sampler

2010-04-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

If you hop on over to the Dover Publication site, you can sign up for their weekly sampler of copyright free imagery. They have everything from paper doll costumes to coloring pages to vintage luggage tags. I save a few images from the sampler to my Dover file each week. Above a two recent ones. I doubt either of my boys wants a bo-peep dress for anything, but maybe for a pre-school project.. :) My favorite are the background patterns which you can recolor and use for just about anything!

Camp!

2010-04-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

This week I signed myself up for camp! In Idaho! And I am so thrilled. Check out these inspiring women, and what they're up to in the Idaho mountains. I'm joining Melody Ross, her sister Kathy, and a group of other equally brave gals for 5 days of creating! The recommended art supply list is brief, but I think that's one rule I'll have to break. I can't wait for this retreat!

A quick, quiet page

2010-03-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took the stack of scrapbook pages and actually put them in an album. And filled it right up. The kids were so delighted to flip through the pages, eager for the next one featuring them, a favorite toy, or friend. So now we're sorting pages since they want their own separate books. Here's a page from Matthew's reminding myself to enjoy the little mouse before he's tucked away at school all day.

supplies: cardstock> Bazzill. patterned paper> Hambly. alphas> AC Thickers. stickers> Kaiser Craft, Chatterbox. brads> Oriental Trading, My Mind's Eye. ink> SEI. stamp> Stampin' Up. other stuff> old book page, butterfly & vintage trim, Prima florals, Jenni Bowlin accents.

Amateur marbeling

2010-03-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

Borders Bookstore has this new collection of classics with gorgeous cover designs, so I'm visiting an old process...

A while back, I found myself a marbeling kit, and made my first batch of imperfectly marbeled pages. I love this process, the mess of it, the dry time, the textures. This weekend, I'm at it again, paying more attention to the palette, and mixing some custom colors. I thought these papers might make amazing frontispieces in my little handmade books, but I'm seeing that they may just work for scrapbooking too (if I can get the colors right). 'bye!

creatively promiscuous!

2010-02-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

I've said it before, and I make no excuses: I *love* to make things. And I do jump from genre to genre now and again. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that I've found a new tangent! Hand spun wool. Yep. Amazing stuff. Monica & I went to Stitches West today, and the wonderful folks at Snicklefritz Yarn had a sample of unbelievably, hand spun yarn. So I came home with some roving, and now am itching to find a drop spindle. I'm eager to get myself into a drop spindle class at either Urban Fauna or over in Berkeley to A Verb for Keeping Warm. {Worry not, scrapbooking friends, paper is still my craft passion}. xxoo

Fanfarlo!

2010-02-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

Saw these guys last night at Great American Music Hall! So fun & absolutely great sound. {Thanks Julie!} Fanfarlo check 'em out. Enjoy!

Cold Hands

2010-01-20T12:28:00.000-08:00

Even though I've been crafty all morning (making, cutting, writing), my hands are freezing! It's simply chilly here in SF this week. *Lots* of rain. But that hasn't swamped my mood about this page. Long before I actually moved to San Francisco, I loved that Natalie Merchant song "Milk and Honey." Give the lyrics a listen if you haven't for a while. I've decided I need to focus on some of my story instead of: all boy, all the time. And I'm going to post some pages here as well to help me document. For my scrapbooking friends, you've got to see these brads from Oriental Trading. They are hefty, well-made and completely charming!

Supplies: Patterned paper> SEI, BasicGrey, Hambly. Alphas> American Crafts, Jenni Bowlin. Brads> Oriental Trading, SEI, Creative Cafe. Ink> Martha Stewart Crafts, SEI. Stamps> Hero alphas, 7 Gypsies, Inkadinkado. Rub-ons> BasicGrey. Chipboard> American Crafts. Other stuff> Prima florals & pearls, Vintage map with calligraphy from Kenner Road, Creative Cafe gems, tag from Living Room Floor, felt coaster from Michael's, vintage butterfly, trims & threads.

I will...

2010-01-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

I have many resolutions this year and one of them is to create a new banner for this blog. Why does that feel so difficult? I'm always so impressed with amazing banners, and when I grab Somerset's Artful Blogger, I first flip to the back where they feature beautiful banners. I've even seen them on etsy...for sale! So, I'm publishing myself a deadline: by the week's end, I will create a new blog banner.

In a word...

2010-01-04T18:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the New Year! Two thousand ten has lots of promise for me in the creative arts arena. I've been working to free up my time so that I can work on my illustrations and collage art. And right out of the gate, I've got a fresh start! At the indirect urging of my friend Amy and her past January podcasts, and through the inspiration of Ali Edwards, I've chosen a word to help guide my creative endeavors this year. It's a word that I had chastized myself with last year in the avalanche of projects happening around me. I often felt out of control, and that my creative time was not my own. I have always been (and will likely continue to be) an full spectrum art & crafter. I have tried to do it all: paper, fabric, paint, rubber, wood, metal. And that won't change. What *is* changing is my purposefulness. My intentions. My focus. *Focus* Focus on what compells me, what intrigues me, what challenges me. Focus on the lines and shadows. Focus on the dailyness. Focus on learning. Focus on being present. And not just the art, but on parenting and friends. Focus on being present in conversation, and fully committing to the moment. We'll see how it goes. What might your word be?

Autonomous wax

2009-12-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for a new greeting on the front door. I make these hang-signs for holidays, for seasons, for reminding the boys to dump the sand from their shoes. This one has an old drawer pull with distressed paint still on it. I love the handle, the weight of it, the patina of the exposed metal. And I reluctantly added it to my sign, telling myself if I found a better use for it, I'd grant permission to deconstruct it. The sign also has some splattered crayon wax (with rhinstones), and oh how this brings back a memory. One Christmas on Cooper Hill Road, my mom had a whole tray of red votives alight on a coffee table. My brother, being a boy cooped up mid-winter in Connecticut, was under the table, and sort of lifting it with his feet. You see where this is going? So we had red wax on the oriental carpet, and one very angry mom. After attempting to remove the wax by iron-&-brown-paper-bag method, we were left with a stain, and a lesson-learned. Even here on my sign, I am reminded how autonomously hot wax (mis)behaves.

Christmas Quail

2009-12-07T11:16:00.001-08:00

Here stands the Christmas Quail. She's supposed to grace my holiday postage, but I'm struggling with the color of her plummage. The good folks over at Zazzle have printers that print a few steps darker, and I have to plan for that...so we'll see. I wish I could say the Christmas cards were this far along! I'm quite tempted to buy a few boxes, pen our names & send them off. But then I recall the exponential satisfaction of handmade...

Microfilm!

2009-11-27T13:56:00.000-08:00

I'm smack in the middle of a Kits class (taught by May Flaum) over at BPS to learn some new tricks about using up the last vestiges of my scrapbooking kits. She's got some great suggestions, tutorials, & challenges to get you moving. But she also encouraged us to build our own kits. I've never done this before, and *loved* focusing on using up some great supplies and favorite items that haven't yet made their way into a project. And then I came across a spool of mircofilm while hunting for some black lace...and voila.

Re-purposing

2009-11-23T12:24:00.000-08:00

I'm playing along with Ali Edwards and her December Daily project. I've yet to upload my photos into the Flickr group, but I was really excited to build this book! I took an old Dunn Edwards paint chip binder, gessoed it, covered it with light-weight kraft, and filled it with a page for everyday in December. A book-maker's take on an Advent calendar, and completely inspired by Ali Edwards. I'll share pages along the way. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving! I'm making that crazy, vivid frozen cranberry sauce with horseradish.

a Greeting, and a Very Good Read

2009-05-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day! With much help from my sister, I made the Fifty Things We Love book for our Mom. The hardest part was editing out all her spectacular recipes, and the laughs we'd shared!

I just closed the back cover on the latest Geraldine Brooks novel based on a true lost book. This is an amazing story of respect--for all faiths, for art, for families. Just thought I'd make note. What are you reading?

pink prams & growth charts

2009-05-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true. I haven't blogged in months. My excuse, however, is in the form of an enormous graduation book (see the "growing tall" page). You'd think the child was graduating from high school or something. Nope. Nursery School. And he didn't even make very much art...

I'm tickled pink to share a write-up about my silhouettes! The taste-makers at droolicious (and my savvy friend Sunny) gave me a nod on their blog. Go visit; this group knows how to shop!

Also, I've been drawing prams! We welcomed a new baby girl into our circle, and I made a pram-themed announcement for her and her family. What a treat to make something girly & pink. Happy May Day!

scissor-hands

2009-02-06T23:15:00.000-08:00

Well, there's no good excuse for not posting except it's all production around here. I feel like Edward Scissorhands lately since I've undertaken 60 little silhouette portraits for our nursery school auction. My good friend Dana tells me that I need to keep track of process, and her comment made me look at the whole silhouette avalanche with clear-er vision. It started with patterned paper on patterned paper with stitching, and a variety of frames. Then I made a silhouette portrait for my fun wedding clients, and used classic black. Oh wow. Much better. So I ditched about a dozen portraits and re-made in black. Now I'm a crazy lady running all over the city rescuing 5X7 frames from Goodwill etc. Good to be back in blogland.

100 things {big & small}

2008-11-24T15:20:00.000-08:00

I got this from Sara, who got it from Lucrecer, who got it from someone else's blog...you know how it goes...now it is your turn! Leave a comment if you post a list on your own blog.

Bold the things that you have done:

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo's David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone's life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee 100. Read an entire book in one day

{here on earth}

2008-11-08T16:19:00.001-08:00

{eek! it's been a whole month since I last posted!}

Here's a full-circle story for you: my friend Monica recommended Earth: the biography which opened the startling realization that I completely missed out on anything space-related during my no-television childhood. So I thought I should re-learn some physics. And maybe some astronomy, and then maybe all this astro-physics stuff wouldn't be so inaccessible. Yeah. So, bottom line: I'm a little more informed, but it should go without saying, I'm light-years away from any kind of true understanding. It's comforting, though, to know that I'm not alone in my on-earth, human ignorance. While I was doing all this up-ward gazing, trying to squint through the light pollution to spy Venus, I also concluded that there is a whole world right here at my feet. Places I really want to see that are accessible; I don't need a rocket booster strapped behind me. Even places in my home city. Part of my house. My brain. Enter Ashley's latest class: {Evidence}. Oh, geez, the relief! It was a put-down-the-crazy-space-text-and-make-something-meaningful refresher. I'm happily cruising thought my 12th entry in this journal, and it's only been a week! Wish this class could continue on, but Ms. Wren supplied us with everlasting prompts for when I need to be grounded. Peace.

Good Acoustics & a Scare! {the friendly kind}

2008-10-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

Yay for paper collage! This little number was requested by a friend for her husband who plays--you guessed it: piano, guitar, & drums. I built the paper collage, then heat-transfered it to the t-shirt. The pick was scanned & digitally added. Good stuff, eh?

And I made a hang-tag for the door with some previous SIStv style phyle pieces. Perfect for Halloween. We're engineering BIG costumes here this year; what's on the docket @ your house?

Love Makes You Real

2008-10-05T15:56:00.001-07:00

It isn't like me to reference television, but I've been in a creative rut...{I promise there's a point to this ramble}...One of my favorite episodes of Friends was when Rachel was waiting for Ross to go see a movie, and he's just been told his fiancee that he must choose between her or Rachel. Rachel busts in with: "Come on, Stella gets her groove back in, like, twenty minutes!" So whenever I go a stretch without making something, I get cranky, and a little nervous that I just don't have my groove. The actual inspiration for this little hanging is The Velveteen Rabbit, but I'm also glad for Friends & reminding me about my groove. And if it's been awhile since you read The Velveteen Rabbit, find a copy with rich illustrations and settle in.

Put down the broom & Make Something!

2008-09-17T12:28:00.001-07:00

Stop folding laundry & Make Something.

Drag yourself away from email & Make Something.

Order in & Make Something.

It's nearly crisis-mode. After a huge project, I need a little recovery time, a clearing of the decks, if you will. Well, the decks are cleared. The kiddos are quiet. The dishes are done. And dinner is set. I just ordered a box of creative jump-start: Kerry Lynn's premiere collection from Kenner Rd. I'm thrilled for my friend & wish her buckets of success. Now, if only my USPS people were sprinters...

k2tog, and other messes

2008-09-17T00:58:00.000-07:00

For you non-knitters, that's code for--I'm up to my ears in a pile of yarn! Pictures to come...I am recovered from the wedding papery of my dear friends Karen & Scott, and now turning to another wedding project once I get my sweater off its needles (grrr). When I have something to show for it, you'll see it here. Speaking of stitches, the 2 yr old got his first one the other night right along his vermillion line. A character mark at two. {And a few MORE grey hairs for me; thanks kid}.

Big Thoughts about Pineapple

2008-08-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

After reading "Animal Vegetable Miracle," I found myself *really* paying attention to where in the world my family's food is coming from. It should have been simple for produce since so much is grown within 200 miles of us. But I was surprised how far my strawberries were traveling, my mangoes, my boys bananas. Granted, California isn't the perfect climate for mangoes & bananas, but do we need bananas every week when our local produce is grown, picked & skipped in from a central valley farm? As opposed to grown, harvested, packaged, handled, shoved into a container, left in the dark of a container vessel for the trip from Hawaii to Oakland (best case), handled some more, treated to grocery store flourescent lights and fickle produce shoppers until it lands in my cart & is toted home? Yup, I'm thinking big thoughts about pineapple these days.

Rubber Stamps, anyone?

2008-08-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

I got a little envelope from Steph (or LivingRoomFloor, as she's also known...) and it had a great image stamped on the front. I thought I'd point you toward both Steph and these folks. I made the house for one of their rubber competitions; didn't win, but I love what I made.

PS: hey acrylic stamp folks! I think you're great too.

Dear Manufacturers,

2008-08-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Manufacturers, (Martha Stewart, Fiskars, Paper Punch, Paper Source, etc.) I have a request. I need a punch that'll make the above opening. They call it a "euro slot punch" in, well, Europe. I think we can come up with something better. A girl can hope! Warm Regards, Cortney

Lalalala, Lucky Numbers, and a little Foreigner

2008-08-10T00:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a regular confetti party around here! I'm finishing up the papery for a good friend's wedding, and am making silhouetted/negative table numbers. Although the picture is NOT as charming as these little babies are in real life, I *love* how they look! The white card is mounted (with pop dots) on a silver tent card, so there is a lovely shadow, and the silver will catch the candlight nicely.

My Lalalalala is a scrapbook page that I started back in June, and took a w-h-i-l-e to finish up. I miss those Gigi-inspired "Today I Will..." posts!

Remember Foreigner? "Juke Box Hero" Well, the 4 yr old is crazy-mad for juice boxes, and I was recently asked what advice I'd give to the new families who are entering our nursery school this fall...steer clear of the almighty juice box! This is a page for his nursery school graduation book (which doesn't happen till summer '09, I've just got a jump-start on the whole thing since I love all things paper. Love). More grad book pages to come, I'm sure...

Laugh Till You Cry

2008-07-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

I'm a listener. And because I grew up with National Public Radio, I also talk at it while listening. But last week's episode of This American Life nearly required me to pull over and laugh till I cried, well, the first segment anyway. If you don't know this radio show, go here and acquaint yourself with Ira Glass & Co. And if you've got 59 minutes of airtime, download #293 "A Little Bit of Knowledge." You will laugh. You will cry. And you'll be hooked.

Rocket Ships & Speed Trains {heat transfer}

2008-07-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

The first half of July was full of birthdays around here. I am now addicted to heat transfer for a environmentally friendlier gifting & favoring at said parties. Here's the scoop: I made the images from paper collage, scanned them in, added some text digitally, printed on inkjet tranfer paper, then ironed on the bag and t-shirts. It came out beautifully on the organic cotton tote bag because of the denser weave. The t-shirts aren't too bad either, but jersey isn't the most compatible surface...(note to self: next time, screen print! and find source for organic cotton children's t's) But what was so fun was the trajectory of the collage, and how different it looks on fabric. I have BIG ideas for a wedding favor line...

Speaking of weddings, I've been creating the rehearsal dinner invite set for a good friend. And while I'm still learning the process of designing for a client, I'm thrilled with the results.

And lastly, a complete non-sequitur: This morning, while soothing a toddler, James Blunt sang to us from Sesame Street. The tune "You're Beautiful" was altered to "My Triangle." Charmed. Made my morning.

a little mixed-media inspiration

2008-07-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

If you've read Real Simple magazine, you've seen Kat MacLeod's work. She's an Australian illustrator who's work I adore. Check her out here. I'm still searching for her website/blog...

Studio in a Drawer

2008-07-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

Space is the problem. Children present challenges. And the day just flies by! You see, my creative spaces are in the lower levels of our house, and for most of the day, the kiddos and I are upstairs. Eating, cooking, cleaning, playing. Therefore, no crafty stuff happens till dark; till I'm nearly asleep on my feet. The solution....studio in a drawer: Now I can work a little bit on the book from her class. I can make a few tags or a birthday card. I keep the basic tools in here, and a couple ziplock bags with scraps. I have a paint deck and some vintage coasters and roladex cards. My favorite pens and some adhesive. It's keeping me sane.

Inchies; a process

2008-07-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

Inchies--they're everywhere! I've seen them surface on the trading boards, they grace this summer's Somerset cover, and so I thought I'd share one of my processes for creating them. But first, a definition: inchies are 1X1 squares of collaged, stamped, drawn art, usually signed on the back. Some people swap theirs around. Some use a set to adorn a journal, card series or scrapbook page. The latest set I made landed a premiere spot on an ATC {artist trading card}.

1. I flipped through a couple magazines {Real Simple & Domino for this set} and glued snippets of color & wonder down to pink cardstock.

2. Then I went over the whole page with tiny scrap of paper, small rubber stamps, hole punches, and bits of ribbon & filled in the gaps.

3. I trimmed the edges, then cut 1 inch strips with a paper cutter. It's not precious; just go for it!

4. Then, crosswise, chop into 1 inch squares. Voila. Inchies.

An Introduction

2008-06-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

It's called a Bio Poem, and maybe you've heard of it before. But it was introduced to me by AW, and I'm really intrigued with the possibilities. {Might be interesting to write one a month, and see the variation...) Try one yourself: Line 1: Your first name Line 2: Who is...(descriptive words) Line 3: Who is brother of sister of... Line 4: Who loves...(three ideas or people) Line 5: Who feels...(three ideas) Line 6: Who needs...(three ideas) Line 7: Who gives...(three ideas) Line 8: Who fears...(three ideas) Line 9: Who would like to see... Line 10: Who shares... Line 11: Who is... Line 12: Who is a resident of... Line 13: Your last name.

And thus begins my adventure in blogging.