Lovebirds

Made these guys this weekend for a swap:
I hand cut the pieces from four different fabrics using a Quickutz die as a template (since the Quickutz dies won't really cut fabric). I lined all of the pieces with interfacing for stability and to prevent excess fraying. I hand embroidered the beaks, feet, and eyelashes (on the girl owl) and added wiggly eyes and rhinestones (on the girl owl).

A little more inspiration....

Stumbled upon this artist:

Maricarmen Pizano

First Fully Digital Layout

While I've completed hybrid layouts before and digitally altered my photographs for traditional layouts, this is my first fully digital layout. It just seemed easier this way due to the number of photos and the size of the background photos.

Click the photo for a larger view.

This method of layout design is tough for me because it seems to be harder to move elements around, add elements, and take elements away until you get a look you like.

To be honest, I'm not thrilled with the title. I may print the layout without the title and add a chipboard or sticker title. I think I like the more dimensional look.

A little artistic inspiration....

Stumbled upon this artist's website, Lawrence Yang.

Just awesome. Click on "artwork" on the left hand side of the page for more.

Fabric Flowers

Making these layered fabric flowers for a swap:

Yep, it's spelled wrong!

I knew this would happen someday. I knew I would post a finished product to my blog just to discover I had spelled a major word wrong.

Well, it's finally happened, I misspelled "thoughts" in my previous post. Thanks to all who have noticed and let me know.

But I may just leave it. You see I AM A REALLY BAD SPELLER. Period. Trust me, there's nothing I can do about it. I was eliminated from my first spelling bee with the word "hay". Yes, I couldn't spell a three letter word. I spelled it "hey".

I have set my computer to automatically spell check any e-mail or document I write at work, but I still have misspellings. Computers don't catch it when you misspell a word into another word. See "hay" v. "hey".

A couple of years ago I was digging through all the documents my mother kept from my school years. One of my early report cards, maybe first grade, suggested that my parents should have me checked for a learning disability, my spelling (and my reading at that point) were that bad!

Well, despite all of this, I've made it pretty far in life. I have a B.S. degree in Geological Engineering and an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering. I have a good career. I'm planning to go back for a Ph.D. so I can teach college courses one day.

So I may just leave it. It's a big part of MI. :)

Inspired Spin Journal - Completed Page 1

I'm in the midst of creating an inspiration journal for myself. This inspiration journal will be a place where I can play with all the techniques, products, photos, textures, colors, and words that I love, and that inspire me day to day. Where I can browse for ideas when my mojo is on vacation. Where I can play with combinations of all the things that I love. Where I can play with new ideas.

The base of my inspiration journal is a Spinner Album by Zutter, see this post and this post for more information on the album, page backgrounds, and title. I have created my first page on a canvas background:
Step 1 - I sprayed the canvas background with Riptide Glimmer Mist using Heidi Swapp plastic letters as a mask. I laid paper towels under my pages to catch any over spray.

Step 2 - I cut out three circle swatches from a piece of patterned canvas fabric and adhered them to the background using Fabri-Tac glue (after the Glimmer Mist was dry).

Step 3 - I adhered a 2x3 photo to a Hambly transparency (using Duck adhesive) to give it a little more weight on the page. I adhered the transparency and the butterfly to the background with Fabri-Tac. I created the butterfly months ago for a layout, but ended up not using it. To create the butterfly, I stamped a text stamp on a Technique Tuesday butterfly with Embossing Ink by Ranger. I then swiped metallic orange chalk over the ink. The chalk preferentially sticks to the ink, creating a darker area along the design of the stamp. I then inked the edges of the butterfly with Ranger ink.

Step 4 - I stamped a line from a Pearl Jam song on Bazzill cardstock with Making Memories magnetic stamps. I cut out the words and adhered them onto the page with Fabri-Tac.

I'll post more pages as I get them done. I'm not aiming at completing this entire project in one shot, but to work on it as I come across more things that I love.

Where do I go...?

...When I disappear like that?

I work full time, I'm actually a civil engineer, geologist, and hydrogeologist when I'm in my Clark Kent day clothes. Work has been crazy over the last few weeks, and promises to be crazy for a few weeks more. I'm trying not to complain, just to be happy in the fact that I am employed and busy.

I'm having a quandary. We had to return the second set of kittens because my hubby was allergic to at least one of them, probably the Bengal kitten. Now we're trying to figure out if it's worth trying one more time, probably with two Siberian kittens, or if it's just not worth the emotional strain.

And I've got a cold. Started last Sunday with a sore throat and is still hanging on. I'm not so sick that I can justify calling in sick and sleeping all day, but I'm sick enough that I'm pretty much exhausted after working all day.

But I have been creating, I've got fabric flowers to share, instructions for making my monster buttons, and a few relatively complete pages from my Inspired spin journal to post. All coming soon, don't give up on me :) .

Peek

Making these fun little mixed media flowers for a swap. I'm going to do half in blues/greens/browns and half in pinks/reds/creams.