Two Weeks from Tomorrow...

Sounds like a disaster movie doesn't it....

But it's actually good news.

Really amazing news, actually.

Two weeks from tomorrow, we are closing on our first home. Yep, we found it. We've actually been under contract for a few weeks at this point, but I didn't want to tempt fate by sharing the news too early.

But now we've been through inspections.

And the appraisal has come in.

And there are not many hurdles left to jump.

We're about to be home owners....

Now stop thinking about disaster movies.....I'm nervous enough.

(pictures soon, I promise).

Easy Twisted Paper Flowers

Here's a quick, cheap, easy way to may your own flower embellishments.

Step 1, tear a sheet of vintage paper (dictionary, book, music, etc.) into strips lengthwise. Strips should be 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches wide.
Step 2, rub Modge Podge onto a strip with your fingers. No need for complete coverage, you're just trying to make the paper easier to work with while adding strength and structure to the finished embellishment once the glue dries.

Step 3, while the glue is still wet, twist the paper strip from both ends.

Step 4, while the glue is still wet, roll the twisted paper strip, starting at one end, into a swirl/flower shape. Add a bit more glue to the outside end of the paper strip and tuck under.

Step 5, color with ink, paint, glimmer mist, etc. and add a center embellishment if desired. It's that easy!

Document

I am documenting our hunt for our first house.

I started with a $1 chipboard house book from Michael's. I had the idea of creating a mini-book that actually looked like a three dimensional house.
I covered one side of each house shape with white cardboard backing and the other side with the corrugated part of the cardboard. I liked the "moving box" look and texture these papers provided.

I used my bind-it-all to bind three of the four house "corners" together. At the end I will devise a way to close the fourth "corner".

The book still lies flat like a conventional mini-book.

Or it stands up like a conventional mini-book.

Here's a quick peek inside. I'll share more when it's further along.

Where oh Where....

Ok, time to fess up...

I've been
hunting.

Nearly bought this one last weekend. Still considering and still looking. It's been sucking up all my free time (first time home buyers and all).

Be back soon with a mini-book that is currently in the works.

Found Embellishments

Many people these days are looking for less expensive ways to scrapbook. Sometimes I point people with questions about budget scrapbooking to my blog because, while I spend an obscene amount of money on supplies, my style can generally be duplicated with only inexpensive or reusable supplies such as paint, cardstock, book pages, cardboard, stamps, ink, fabric, and found or handmade embellishments.

For example, I found this gem in my local Sunday newspaper this morning:
Imagine this page trimmed into 12-inch strips, borders, or tags and used on a travel or life-journey themed page.

Now, newspaper is not acid free. I will spritz this page with a buffering spray (like Archival Mist) before storing it and before using it on a page. I will also not use original or non-replaceable photos on a page with non-acid free items (I rarely use original photos anyway these days).

Keep an eye out for other objects you can incorporate into your pages for little or no money. I will continue to try to post what I find.

Where's Waldo?

*sigh*

Travelling for work again. Be back soon.

Method Playground - Challenge 64

Method Playground Challenge 64 is mine! I challenge everyone to creatively use CARDBOARD on a layout, card, altered item, or other project!

AND...I'm offering an awesome RAK to one challenge participant....keep reading.

For this challenge, I created a layout with a storybook feel, using cardboard to create a textured background (the white, lined paper the Mad Hatter drawing is on) and a tear away look (the corrugated kraft paper).
One challenge participant will win Mathe Le Van's "Stencil Me In" (a $25 value!). This book contains 28 reusable stencils and all the ideas you need to apply them. These stencils work awesome with spray ink!
Layouts for this challenge are due by midnight Eastern, Sunday, April 4. Come play with us!

Method Playground Challenge 63

For Method Playground Challenge 63 we were challenged to use White-Out on our pages. I created this art journal page using White-Out tape for my journaling spots:

Journaling reads "the plight of the artist is to make people feel that which that can not name".

I also tried out a new photo transfer technique on this page. Worked like a charm, and ..... no laser print copy required. I will post the how-to soon.

Playing Around...

...in my new art journal. Seeing how the pages hold up to all I will eventually do to them. Not bad...
Fortune reads "You eat too much Chinese food".

Okay, not really, fortune actually reads "Your life is a daring and bold adventure".

Record Book

We're in the process of cleaning out our spaces at work in preparation for some construction and reorganization. So, lots of us are purging things we've held onto for years. I was bequeathed this little vintage jewel on it's way to the trash:
It's about 7 x 11.5 and was nearly full of ledger sheets, only the first 50 pages or so were missing. The pages are heavier than regular paper, and have nice vintage color. So my first thought was that I had just met my next art journal.

So, while watching TV the other night, I liberated it of all but the middle sheets of each signature, to give me space in which to work. I ended up with a ~40 page art journal. I just need to do a little repair on the binding.

I also ended up with about 250 loose pages to use on other projects.