A Moment in Time

Hey People!  How is the first week of the year going for you?  I've been slowly trying to find my house again under the mess and have been working on some creative endeavors.  Most ended up in the trash, but I do have a couple of projects that I will share this week!!

Today I got to play with the sketch challenge on SCS.  This is rather out of my "box", but that is ok!!  I like how it turned out.

Allow me a moment to vent here.  I tried to use my new Photoshop Elements 9 to edit.  I think I need to review my online class (and maybe finish it! haha).  Can't figure out how to add my watermark text.  No biggie.  If someone likes this enough to steal it, now is their chance! But, my biggest frustration came in trying to FIND the edited picture to upload!! GRRRRR.....need to do some more exploring on the "file" end of this!!

Anyhoos!!  Base is a 5 1/2  square of Vanilla Pure Luxury, 120#.  The next two layers are SU's Newsprint.  I did some distressing along the edges of the ledger page along with some sponging in Antique Linen.  I stamped the "enjoy the journey" from Tim Holtz's Just Thoughts set with Archival Jet black ink, stamped off once. A do over would be to stamp this sentiment straight versus at an angle.  But I stamped it before I knew what I wanted for my main image panel!  The main image panel was a scrap of vanilla pure luxury that I sponged again with Antique Linen over Tim's Timework's mask.  The sentiment and clock hands are actually stickers that I have had in my collection for a very long time.  They are distributed by SandyLion and are Kelly Panacci's design.  I think I found them at Michael's a lifetime ago. 

I ventured  out of my usual simple ribbon treatment and tried something new.  I used a piece of Scor Tape and then just randomly folded my ribbon in loops over it.  Not perfect, but I rather like the texture it lends.

Thanks for stopping by again today!! I'm going to go review my Photoshop notes and see if I can figure out some stuff!!  The E-Team has another fun event coming up on Friday and I need to figure out where the heck my pictures are!!  LOL!!

Till then........................make sure you enjoy a moment of creativity!!

Leap..............

............and the net will appear.

This is on Suze Weinberg's blog header. 

And every time I check to see what Suze has created, I take a loooong moment and stare at this saying.

It hits home for me because it is the complete opposite of my natural instinct.  I fret, over think, fret some more, then worry.  I wish I could say that was just over the "big" things in life, but nope.  I do the same when creating. 

I fret that I'm not using the "IT" product.
I over think each and every detail.
I fret again that my style, or lack of a style, will mean no one will like what I have made.
I worry that I will come up majorly short on what is expected of me.

I've been told I need a good cyber slap to snap me out of such thoughts.  Probably true.  But, those nagging thoughts creep back in on the next project.

Once upon a life time ago, I was an art major.  I was even accepted to a large university for their art program. 

But, I chickened out.  I had always attended very small private church schools.  When my best friend asked me if I wanted to be her roommate at yet another small private parochial college, I jumped on the chance.  I was too scared to face something new.  I worried that I would never find the art building on a campus that made up most of the town.  I was afraid that someone would tell me I had absolutely no business being in the art program.  I was afraid I'd never find my way off the campus, if and when I ever found the spot I was suppose to be at.

Instead, I attended the small church affiliated college that had an equally small art department.  One that didn't really push you competitively to create outside your comfort zone.  But I was "comfortable".  Until a friend (who DID take the leap and attended a public university) showed me what was required of her in her art classes. 

Insert REALITY here____________________.

There was no way that I was ever going to make it out in the "real" world with the art degree I was working on.  I was being graded on "my own improvements" and getting assignments in on time.  She was being graded on what innovated ideas she used in her assignments that were "out of the box".  And against what others were doing.

So I changed majors.  A choice, again, made by fear of the unknown. But that is a different topic, for another time.  The point is, I was afraid to LEAP. 

This year I want to LEAP. 

 I want to leap off the cliff and create what my eyes and mind tell me is ME.
I want to leap and be an outlaw, of sorts, that creates with what I like, versus what everyone else likes. 
I want to leap and try some new things that are not just paper craft related. 

Leap...............and the net will appear. 

The first step is the biggest one. One......two........three.........JUMP!

Reflections

2010



Pushed myself to explore more out of my little, comfy, creative box.  Still working on jumping completely out of it, but liking the fact that I have the flaps wide open.

Left one design team and found new creative juice with another.

Started to re visit some of my "old" creative haunts.  Remembering why I enjoyed them the first go around. 

Made some wonderful cyber friends through this crazy blog world and am so grateful that I joined in. 

Personally,  life was life.  Some good, some not so good, some grand.  Wouldn't change most of it.  And would only modify some of it to a little more to the positive side. 

2011

Been giving some thought to what direction I'd like to take in 2011.  In creativity and personally.  I'm not going to set Resolutions.  Those just seem too "final".  I don't think they give room to take another path or allow for life curve balls.  Instead, I'm going to make Aspirations. 

But we will have to wait until 2011 for a glimpse of those. 

Till then............

*******

Be safe.  Be Merry.  Let's ring in this New Year like no other!!

First Bloom

Hey Peoples!  I hope you all had a wondrous Christmas holiday (or long weekend!!).  Our Christmas was good.  Believe it or not, even with working full time last week,  I got most everything done before the family came over for Christmas Eve dinner (who cares that the floors didn't get mopped again? Food just gets spilled, right?!). 

The Toad once again proved that he is a Prince in disguise.  He bought me a wonderful present to feed into my creative side.  He got me a Bamboo Fun tablet and pen.  He thought it might be something that I would enjoy sketching with and possibly could use with the Photoshop Elements 9 program he recently got me for my birthday.  I have snuck a few hours on the computer watching the tutorial videos on the tablet.  Tonight, I decided to jump in and see what I could do with it. 

                                 



I have to say, that for my first drawing on the computer, I am pretty dang pleased on how this turned out.  I obviously need lots of time figuring out the different mediums that can be used to draw and the pen pressure to get the different amount of shading and textures.  Drawing looking up at the screen versus down at the "paper" is different too.  And figuring out what type of file actually saves it looking like the "original" file.  But I think that I will have lots of fun with this.  I haven't really sat down and drawn for more years than I care to remember.  Maybe this will be the nudge to get back into that area of art that I've neglected.

2011. A whole new year to explore something new.  Or the chance to go back and explore something old in a new way. 

Till the next adventure...............

Merry Christmas

How ever you chose to celebrate this season, I hope that you will take the SPIRIT of the holiday to heart. 

Thought I'd share a CREATIVE take on the Christmas Story!!



Thanks for keeping me company over this past year.  I REALLY look forward to all the creativity the New Year will bring!!  Till then............

To Our Soliders on This Silent Night

I'm sitting here with tears running down my face.  "Nough said.

Nope.  One more thing.
Thank You to the men and women who ensure that we ALL can have a Wonderous Holiday.....no matter how we chose to celebrate it.

Decking the Halls

Since I know you are expecting my countdown panic moment~~~you have FOUR more days till Dec. 24.

I'll spare you my hyperventilating.

Instead, I thought I'd drop in and share another CAS card I did for the oldest kiddo's teacher.  This is for a male teacher and I copped out and got him a gift card to Home Depot.  Really, I thought it was a thoughtful gift as he and his wife just moved into a new house and you know how may times you have to run to Home Depot with a new house?!! Or an old house for that matter!!

Anyhoos!!  Here is the card:

I started with a 5 x 5 1/2" base from Gina K's pure luxury paper.  The sentiment was computer generated.  I then ran some Barn Red metal over the Kabuka 11 mold through my Big Shot to save time versus doing the embossing/refining by hand.  It should be noted that these molds are NOT made to go through the various die cutting/embossing machines.  Not to say you can't use them in this matter.  Just be aware that there is no absolute "sandwich".  I believe my sandwich was the multi purpose platform, the mold with the metal on top, a silicone mat, a piece or two of paper and then the texture plate.  But don't hold me to that!! This was made several days ago and in panic mode.  Who knows what I actually came up with!!  Also, be aware that you do risk breaking either your machine or mold.  My advice:  if it seems REALLY tight, don't force it.  Adjust your sandwich and try again.  A little snug is ok....fighting to get it cranked through is probably increasing your risk of breakage.

I cut out a frame around the images and ran a decorative wheel along the edges. Gently sanded off the color on the raised areas with a sanding/burnishing block   Used some Hummungo Killer Adhesive and adhered it to a black mat.  Used some Scor Tape to adhere to my card.  Colored some self adhesive pearls with my copics, stuck them on and called 'er done!!

Thanks for dropping by again today! I did want to say that things will probably be pretty quiet around here as the Christmas and New Year holiday kicks into full force.  I am having to work full time for the next two weeks, covering for the boss and another therapist who wanted time off.  And I really feel that when I get home, I should devote time to the Toad and the Kiddos, as this is what the season is suppose to be about:  FAMILY. 

With that thought, I'd like to make sure and say now (and will probably say it again in another few days):

I wish you and your families the best of Holiday Wishes.  It doesn't matter how you celebrate the season~just know that I appreciate you dropping by, your comments and the "friendships" that I've made this past year through this blog.  And I wish you a wonderfully, creative NEW YEAR!!

Till then................