I don't know why, but Blogger is not letting me upload my photos. I guess I will have to update you with a typed entry until I can figure it out. I just want to say that I ran my Dreamweaver Stencils class last night and I had so much fun with the ladies who were there. The class ran late, actually later than Scraptales was open, (thank you, Lisa for not kicking us out), but I think everybody learned something, and we had a great time. Thanks.

My Greek Inspired Page

Today, I would like to share with you a page that I made with the TPC paper called Mediterranean Summer. I just love the colors, so bright and beautiful. I cut it up into individual tiles to create this page honoring my niece Natalie's (and my) love for the Percy Jackson books. To further the theme with the Greek God stories, I downloaded some free Greek-inspired fonts that I used to print the journalling (Diogenes) and cut out the title (Elektra) with my Silhouette. The rhinestone owl is by Basic Grey and the stitches use In Stitchz pattern by Bazzill. It didn't scan as well as I had hoped. If you are in Michigan, and would like to see the original, it is on display at Scrap Tales, in Brighton.

Something About Spring

There sure is something special about spring here in Michigan. The days have been getting sunnier, the sky is a beautiful Robin's Egg Blue, and the thermometer is edging up to 60 today. My crocus have been pushing their way through the debris of the winter garden and are facing their happy purple blooms to the sunshine. The bees are visiting now. Even the deer that roam our neighborhood are leaving their tracks everywhere, seemingly as restless as our dog, Emma. This year it all seems more poignant to me, as this is the first year since I lost my mother that I feel like I could once again be ready for the joy spring signifies. I am having an emotional renaissance that parallels the physical renaissance of spring.

I have no delusions that this weather will last: after all, it is Michigan, and it isn't even St. Patrick's Day yet. The meteorologists are predicting a "spring chill" for the weekend. Like most of us in the Midwest, though, I am enjoying this while it lasts--so I am posting a couple of pictures of Michigan in early spring, so you can hopefully enjoy it, too. Experience the renaissance.

So In Love With My Silhouette

I am SO in love with my Silhouette again! Unfortunately, not my physical shape, but my die cut machine. I used it to cut the new Creative Imaginations wood paper AND to cut the new velvet paper (not sure of the company). For the Silhouette users out there, you need a Thick Media cutting mat. (They are about $21 for 2 in your local scrapbook store. ) You set the blade to cut thick media, click the "adjust settings" box and slide the Thickness slider (the bottom one) all the way to the right, the thickest setting, or 33. Ignore the yellow cap it shows, and use your pink blade cap. Then, cut as usual. It is beautiful. I am sorry for the flash in this picture, but you get the drift. What next? I betcha there is a way to cut some glitter paper. I just have to figure it out...........

Upcoming Dreamweaver Card Class

Here are two images of my upcoming Dreamweaver Card Class at Scrap Tales. I have only photographed these two of the four, but I am pretty pleased with them. They don't have sentiments, because I wanted them to remain versatile, but I was thinking they might work for Easter and for Mother's Day.

Graphic 45 Shelf

Hey folks, here is a little shelf that I decorated with the Boardwalk Graphic 45 collection. I will probably add a little ephemera to it, but, for now, it is done. I had originally intended to enter the Graphic 45 Design Team Search, and this was to be one of the ten pieces. I ran out of time to do the job I wanted to do on all of the pieces, so I gave up the idea. (Maybe next year?)

Anyway, I really wound up liking this one (and some of the other pieces, too.) I just love the Graphic 45 papers!

Inspiration

I was crazy inspired this morning. I woke up buzzing with ideas and barely had any time to write them down before I started forgetting them. Does that sound familiar? I rode the fun wave of inspiration most of the morning. What was the spark? I can't say what it was right when I woke up, but towards the end of my brainstorming, I was re energized by a young adult book series that I recently read. Young adult books inspiring scrap booking, you may wonder? Yep. It is the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan. It is all about the Greek gods and goddesses and their human offspring living in New York City in current times. It was recommended to me by my cousin (niece) Natalie, and it is her that I am going to scrapbook about. I guess you will just have to wait until (probably) next week to see the page. I still have to finish my class samples for my Dreamweaver Stencil Class.
Unfortunately, there was a slight glitch in my plans to beautify the world today. There was a slight problem at the store I teach in. Someone had signed up for the class that I had cancelled last week. I did not see their name when I cancelled the class, and I am quite certain that it wasn't there. I MAY not have written cancel in all the appropriate places. It was clearly just a mix up, but it made me feel bad. It was enough to take the waves out of my inspiration ocean, and I wasted the rest of the day :(. I just hope that I can execute some of this morning's ideas tomorrow.

Reminisce Contest Entry

Here are scans of the album I entered in the Reminisce Passports Album Contest

Reminisce Contest

Here are some more scans of the album.

Reminisce Contest Won!

I was SO EXCITED when I won the Reminisce Passports Design Contest! Just over the moon with excitement! I used a quilting theme, that was in all of my pages. Most used quilting patterns created from patterned paper or photographs. Some pages had just a sewn "quilting" element. I loved that I was able to create this by crossing two of my hobbies--that's what I call hybrid scrap booking! This was so much fun to do.

The Challenges of Life

My past several years have been a series of challenges: being unable to have children, my mother becoming ill, trying to save her life, losing that battle and trying to care about my life again. I would like to believe that I weathered those challenges to the best of my ability.
Now, childless and without my best friend, I find myself facing a new challenge-to live the life that I wanted, even without what I had expected. To that end, I have created this blog. What will I do with it? Who knows? I intend to use it for self expression, to post interesting artwork to share with whomever might stumble across it. I also intend to use it to enter challenges, large and small, to raise myself and my life to a new height. I care now, and I am ready for the (hopefully great)challenges that lie ahead.