I just completed this calendar project from Club Scrap's January kit, Vogue. Yes, I know January is almost over, but I needed a calendar in my kitchen. I changed the color from the recommended (white instead of black) and added my own decorations. Since my wall color is green, I decided to add some green to the edge of the book board.

The words in the upper left rectangular box are "Bon Appetit" from a Stampin' Up set. The metal letters and

tag spell out 'It's When". The best I could come up with given the limited poetry tags and alphabets. I also decorated the pages a bit. The photo below is of four of the months.                                                        

The great thing about these projects is that all the book board is pre-cut and easily assembled. The directions are (mostly) easy to follow. The painting took the longest, and that was drying time. Do you have your 2011 calendar yet? If not, this would be a cute addition to your kitchen or desk!

        

Club Scrap Assignment Book

I have quite a few  Club Scrap projects - more than I would like to admit! Most are in their original bags waiting to be completed. This week, I have been working on several (which is why I have not been posting much!). The above book is the Assignment Book. Inside, is a pad pages that I glued together with Club Scrap's Bookbinding glue. The stamped sentiment is by Paula Best. It is one of my favorites.  I added a Tim token to the ribbon with a mini safety pin.

Tuesday's Tip

I tend to use rubber stamps on (almost) all projects - cards, scrapbook pages, art journals, etc. I usually stamp my sentiment or use a label machine for simple sentiments. However, if the sentiment you are trying to convey is wordy, you may run out of room. For those times, I type it on the computer. You can use a variety of fonts and colors to match your card.

Get-Away Weekend

I thought that, since my daughter was heading back to school, it would be a good distraction to keep busy this past weekend. So, I drove to Roseville/Rocklin (near Sacramento) and spent the weekend scrapping. I was with 4 other friends, chatting and relaxing, from Friday evening to Sunday evening. To break up the sitting and scrapping, we had appointments for a manicure, pedicure, and facial. I did get a few pages started and photos organized.

I have seen quite a few Scrap weekends advertised. These are great escapes in which to get a lot (or in my case) a little done. It is your choice - and you do not need to do laundry! Have you attended a Scrap/stamp weekend?

Comments Welcome...

Things are almost back to normal here. My daughter went back to school in Boston for a couple of days and is (currently) on a plane to The Netherlands. She will be studying abroad this semester. When I have mentioned this new experience of sending a child to another continent to study, it has elicited a number of comments. Most were in the area of "how exciting" and "what a great experience". But some, acknowledged the difficulty, as a parent, in letting go. ( I have just become comfortable with sending her across country...My son goes to school locally - very different!).

It is nice to have comments and feedback as to understanding and acknowledgement. It made me think about commenting on blogs. I read a variety of blogs - many are bookmarked to be checked daily (or close to it). I comment sometimes, but not usually every time I visit a blog. I wonder if the blogger would prefer more feedback. I know that I would. So, I will be leaving more comments. I have a few people who will consistently leave a message. For me, it is helpful when a comment is left - particularly if a tip, technique, design etc is found to be helpful. It also helps to gauge interest in a particular area, and helps drive future posts and information.

What would get you to comment? Let me know - I would love to hear from you!

Tuesday's Tip

I am seeing more and more decorated tapes used in crafting. Regular readers know I have been a big fan for quite some time. I have used them as embellishments and backgrounds. You can also make punched shapes from your favorite tapes. Place them on card stock or paper to add weight, and punch away!

Of New Year's Resolutions...

On my January 4th post, I discussed New Year's Art/Craft Resolutions. I am finally getting around to one of them - cleaning my desk! Not only have I been cleaning, I have been clearing out a lot more "stuff". (All this is being done as I am getting my daughter ready to study abroad in the Netherlands this semester. But that is a whole different story!) As you can see in the photo above, I really did use about 5 square inches in which to create!

Yesterday I was able to make some headway on my desk cleaning. It is much neater and better organized - and look at all that space! I even went through and purged the desktop storage and baskets. I am starting to get "itchy" to create again. Amazing how nice a clean and organized desk makes your feel.

I even cleaned up this area - I now have space to stand and work. Often, and depending upon what I am doing, I would rather stand than sit. This area has not been this organized since I moved into my studio! Of course, now the challenge will be to keep this up!
Next up in the cleaning and purging will be a couple of room and closets shelves. All in good time! How are your resolutions coming along?

Mini Book

Before heading to So California, I did get a quick project done.  After making a Club Scrap mini book project, I thought the concept would be easy to adapt to other sizes. I had a 12 Days of Christmas set stamped up and laying around, and thought why not try to make it into a book. The above photo is of one of the inside pages.  The base of the book and its pages are Club Scrap card stock. The pattern is from an older Cosmo Cricket Christmas set. The 12 Days postage is an old All Night Media stamp kit.

I used a few beads and number charms to embellish the linen thread. The chip board numbers were colored with Smooch ink. I then put a thick coat of Glossy Crackle Accents (Ranger) and smudged in some sepia paint in the cracks (it actually looks better in person - I would use this technique again!). Although I am not a 100% pleased with the outcome (I do not like the proportions and I would change up the page backgrounds) - I will display this book with my 12 Days... collection.

Tuesday's Tip

I cannot believe it has been so long since I posted! I have both kids home from college, so my time has been on things other than creating - and reorganizing! I am currently leaving the Disneyland area to visit some family and friends in Southern California.

I do have a tip for you, however. In my last tip I mentioned artistic/crafting Resolutions. One idea to help in the creation of more space in your studio is to move any and all photo albums into another room. I keep completed photo albums in a family room console. There really is not any reason to wait until an album is completed to move it. I know for me, I will gain an entire shelf. So, do not wait and move those albums and binders.

Tuesday's Tip

Welcome to new beginnings! In these first few days of the new year, many of us consider making changes in the new year. Many are personal - weight loss, fitness, family-related, etc. The "experts" mention making "lifestyle changes" that are specific. But, do you have any art related resolutions? Spend more/less, use what you have, purging your art room are a few resolutions that I have seen. What specifics do you have? Let me know by leaving a comment.
I have several changes which I need to make. Some specifics:
1. Clean my desk after each session.
2. Put new purchases away immediately (no bags on the floor or desk).
3. Schedule time for art - and be specific. One afternoon may be art journal pages, another maybe scrap booking.
I do have more, but these are my biggest issues. What are yours?

Happy New Year

I hope everyone enjoyed New Year's Eve celebrations - safely! Have a wonderful first day of 2011!