Another little Art Movie

Here is another little art movie of the book I made with the kit from Jenni Bowlin that I was telling you about.



It was fun and quick with the kit. I added a few pages more than the directions told me o of course. All of the writing in the book is the lyrics to I Could Not Ask For More by Edwin McCain, our wedding song, just in case your dying to know what it says. :)

Back To School

We got the word via email that we could go back to school this week to get our classrooms set up. I decided it would be a good idea to go get something accomplished so I don't feel stressed with my Art Unraveled classes next week. I got tons done in only 4 hours. After I go their I wished I had brought my camera to take before pictures.

I am lucky to have an enormous studio. Because it is covered in tile everything, and I mean everything, has to come up off the floor so that it can get waxed in the summer. They fill my kiln room with furniture, fold up my tables and stack them on the counters, etc. When my custodian saw me walking on to campus he immediately said, without me asking, I am running off campus can I come help you in 20 minutes? YEAH! I went and moved everything I could do on my own and then he showed up with the other custodian to put down the tables. They even put out my chairs for me. Oh and I should also mention that they put 500 pounds, yes literally, of clay on the storage shelves for me too!

I also received a sweet order of resources too! It was like Christmas! I loaded up all the books on Mexico and toted them home to start planning. :)

My art supplies have not been delivered yet, which is a good thing, because they take up lots of room and time to put them away. I am actually enjoying getting everything else done first. I am going to go back today for a short time because I already had lunch plans before I knew I could be working. :)

I did manage to make a cute little book using a Jenni Bowlin kit yesterday. I will show pictures after I bind it at school today (that's where the Zutter lives:). And this necklace. I was inspired to make this after seeing Mia Michaels necklace on So You Think You Can Dance last week. Did you notice the key on her necklace? I was in love so needed to make my own version.

Class With Mom

Yesterday, I was out playing with Mom. First we met for pancakes ( I was dying for them!). Next, we went to an art yard sale at Scrap Gals until we couldn't take the heat. We found some great deals but too many people were in too small of a space and I was getting too hot! Finally, and I do mean the grand finale, we went to Frenzy Stamper where my mom was teaching her fabric Journal class. It was so fun and I was excited that I actually finished my project during class.

How Things Are Coming Together

You know it's serious when it is hard to fall asleep because you are thinking about art projects non stop. I have been doing a lot of experimenting the last few days. I have lots to think about with my online classes with Kelly Kilmer and Dina Wakley and then add in a little Heidi Swapp from last weekend and I'm reeling! My brain is trying to figure out how to mesh everything and I'm loving it. Here a few experiments from today.


This week I've discovered...
- Portfolio water soluble oil Pastels are my favorite tool around page corners. It is unbelievable to me how much hey can add and I love how soft and squishy they are. (I don't love them as much filing in area that have been masked and sprayed.)



- I love masks even more than I thought I did!
- Their is a huge difference between alcohol ink, and ink pad ink, and liquid watercolor-DUH! This discovery (that I shouldn't have had to discover) took lots of playing with my mini misters to figure out.
- I might be addicted to spray ink!

Out Of Order

I some how got all of my journal pages out of order. Here are a few I forgot.



I signed up for another amazing art journal class by Dina Wakley yesterday. It was originally done as a four week class but it is now in the archives here. I am liking that I can go at my own pace because a) I am on summer vacation and b) I have done art journaling before obviously so while I like checking out the tips on collaging for instance I don't need to spend a week working on it. :) It is a very cool class and I will be checking out the follow up classes too!

It's gray and rainy here today. I love making art in this weather but school calls. I am supposed to be hanging art at the district office today. {insert pout here}

Journaling Cont.

Check out my etsy shop for some great deals on relisted items!!!

Fun!

I had so much fun in Heidi Swapps classes yesterday! I started this cute energy journal that I of course want/need to add more to, learned tons of amazing masking techniques, got tons of great Heidi Swapp products, and left tired but inspired.


Today I went and had my hair done by the amazing Laurie Lash. I love being able to tell her just to do it and it is amazing every time. Soooo worth the drive to Mesa!



Had a fun dinner & dog bed shopping with Jim too! The dogs now have the perfect color of lime green beds to match the studio!

The Next 5 Journal Pages

Journal, Journal, Journal

I journaled 12 pages yesterday! I just couldn't stop the signature I was working on was done! Now I only have one signature left in my current journal and then I get to make a little movie to show you how the pages work together. Talk about motivation. I'll be on it today. Here are the first 5 from yesterday.


I was thinking about how soon school would start and that made me remember how quickly Art Unraveled is approaching! I need to start getting my supplies together! I shoul dprobably get my supplies together for my classes this weekend too! LOL!

Back To School Gift For Buffy

Buffy was out on maternity leave at the end of the school year so I am sure everyone is going to want to know how the girls are when they get back to work so i made her this cute brag book. I decided to do it justice I should make a video, (Plus I wanted to try and see if I really knew how to get a video on my blog.:)



I had so much fun making this book! I also amazed myself because other than the actual book I only used stuff I had on hand! I love to shop for supplies and then forget to use them and go buy more supplies for a specific project.

Also, I am so excited! Heidi Swapp will be teaching classes less than 15 minutes from my house this weekend! I took Classes from Heidi over 5 years ago when she was teaching at Memory Lane back before she had her own product line. :) She is a great teacher-very inspirational- & I can't wait to get my hand on this stuff! I had to sign up for both classes to learn the techniques! I don't think I'll be starting a 12 X12 scrapbook any time soon but will have fun ripping up the pages I make to put in my art journal! That would horrify the scrapbookers in the class wouldn't it? Maybe I'll say it just for fun! HA!

I promised my self I'd work on APAD today! I must like being behind or something! I do know that I like to make more than one page at a time. Maybe that's it. Expect art journal pages tomorrow. See I promised now I really have to get on it! :)

More Fun

Today I added picture of cuteness to Kakes Christmas album. (I just got the pictures from Buffy this weekend.)


I also made the final apron that I had in the works. I used a pair of old jeans for the top and made a ruffled bottom. I was impressed that I was able to figure out how to make the ruffle but I had seen my mom do it before.



The reality of school starting soon is starting to set in also. I will have to start planning soon. Today I finished reading How To Talk So Kids Can Learn. It is an amazing book! It could have been called How To Channel Your Inner Donna Troy. If you work with me you get the reference and you should read it too!

I Love Trees!

Deb and I painted this tree in her nursery yesterday! We love it and we are sure her little girl will love it too! (A little Deb now isn't that exciting!)



Now that's an art project for you!

Super Fun Weekend

This weekend wa super fun! First Buffy & I went to meet Bug and Butterfly! They are our Girl Scout Camp Counselor friends. We had not seen or talked to them in 10 years! Hooray for Facebook we were able to reconnect!


Just for the record Buffy's camp name was clover and mine was wishes. (Please excuse the terrible photo as the guy who took it clearly didn't really care if it came out or not. :)

Afterwards I went to Buffy's house so I could get some pictures printed of the girls for some super cute books I am working on. I also painted Kakes toes for the first time. (My first time painting not her first time with glittery toes.) She brought me the glittery polish unprompted and said toes Nene? How could I resist?

I spent lots of time farming on Facebook with both Buffy & Seth and Deb and Ben this weekend too. It was fun to spend so much time with friends and family.

Shhhhh...

I wish I could show you the adorable project I did today but it's top secret until Deb's baby shower on August 15th. To help ease your disappointment :) I am able to show off her invitation that Ayesha and I made last weekend as they all should have arrived to their new homes. (Fingers crossed)

Closed


Open


We were inspired by one of Jamie's guest bloggers. Check it out here.

Mom Get Out Your Pen

and cross this off your list too! I made this great full apron today! I used an apron I bought while I was in CA this summer as a pattern.



Here is a close up of the cute canvas I also got in CA.


I don't think I have any projects left for my mom to do for me. :)

I also finished a cute flower necklace & ring for Jamie last night. I can show you because I already ruined the surprise getting conformation on the color. :)

Oh Yes I Did!

I always wanted a real sewing machine case. (I know this is dorky but you are used to getting that here.) My hand-me-down sewing machine lived in a blue crate and every time I needed to take it somewhere I'd lug around the crate and wish it was a case instead.

Well, Kelly passed along a sewing machine to me IN A CASE! I couldn't figure out the machine but the case is a whole new story. :) Now you can't have a super cool sewing machine with a vinyl cling skull with out having a matching case!



(Thanks Mom for spending forever looking at vinyl clings in Joann with me to make this important decision!)

I also made two wrap skirts for under $5 yesterday! I bought this super cool fabric last summer in the fashion district dirt cheep for $2. I bought a roll of gunmetal silver ribbon for $2 and change and voila! (Doesn't it look great with the octopus necklace from a few days ago?)


I showed Deb the skirt & she loved it too! (Deb and I have a history of buying the same skirts when we are not shopping together once it was 3 in one weekend!) We figured a wrap skirt is perfect skirt if you are pregnant. It will fit now and later. The best part of this project was teaching myself to make button holes. Who knew it could be so easy & fun too!

I got in flowers that I ordered from Hong Kong so I made a few necklaces and a few rings too! (Buffy I'm on my way! :)



I love summer but desperately need to unart my house. Ha! The bed room is the only room without a project in it right now and that's only because I have to clean it up before we could go to sleep.

Aprons!

Yesterday was apron day! I saw this idea for a cute little apron in This month's edition of Ready Made magazine. I took the idea and ran with it. I decided that my aprons should be lined in canvas because one layer of cotton is no match for the amount of water a second grade class can bring on.

My first apron was made from the most gorgeous pink and gray skull material. (Modeling these aprons is a bit obnoxious but you wouldn't be able to understand their greatness if I left them flat.)


To make the reverse interesting I embroidered a pink butterfly.



Next, I used (more) black skull material that I bought last summer when my mom and I were shopping in the fabric district in CA. It was going to become pajama pants but it never happened.


I used a scrap to make these three slim pockets on the reverse.


Finally, My mom found this cool fabric on a trip to SAS. I loved it so much she let me have it! (Remember this pocket.)


I found this great heavy weight outdoor fabric (feels like canvas) on the clearance table at Joann. Did you notice the significance of the pocket?



I had too much fun. I am starting to notice a pattern though-I can never make just one-HA! I need to thank Ayesha who took all of these photos for me. I couldn't imagine torturing Jim in that kind of way, and besides he had already been through three fashion shows by this point.

One last cute story from yesterday. Jim walked out when I as making the third apron and said, "What are you doing? How many aprons does one need?" in a cute, you are cracking me up kind of way. I said, "Wasn't this sewing machine a great investment!" Jim says, "Actualy I'm a little concerned with how much we are spending on fabric these days." I love this kid!