All Paper Arts

This week has begun as a very hectic one. Yesterday was the first day of school for my girls. Including the very first day of school for my youngest who also just had her sixth birthday the day before. Today was my first day of school in over 15 years. I was so worried I was going to be the oldest person in class and was very relieved when I wasn’t. As a matter of fact one class has two women who were going back to school after over twenty years. Isn’t it great to know it is never to late to fulfill a dream? I am excited to be back in school. I am even more excited that the first day is over. I am sure I was more nervous then my six year old was. What was really meaningful today was when my dear friend who is so excited about me going back to school waited for me at our daughter’s school so she could take a first day of school picture of me. She told me it was going to be for a scrapbook page. I would have never thought of making my own first day of school scrapbook page. I had taken pictures of my girls yesterday especially for scrapbooking. Isn’t it amazing how the artist forgets about themselves? Why not make a scrapbook page about you? If you care so much to record special moments in others lives don’t you think they would like to see something about you as well? One of my professors today said that getting up everyday and doing something is like walking over a bridge. On the other side of the bridge there is some kind of change no matter how little. I think that wraps today up pretty well.

A few weeks ago I wrote about my grandmother passing. The last few days she has really been on my mind even more than usual. I wake up from dreams of her being like I remember red headed and a ball of fire Jitter Bugging and singing Rum in Coca-Cola or Watermelon Wine. Making an army of food for just me and a few friends. Her funeral was very hard for me. I am not one to go to funerals. Maybe it because I am such a visual person but I just have this thing about wanting to remember people the way they were. To this day I have been to three funerals the first two were both curb side services one for my dad and one for my husbands hero his Paw Paw in both cases they had been cremated. My grandmother’s service on the other hand was an open casket at the funeral home. I know to some it may seem dishonorable but I did not go up to the casket. I just couldn’t like I said I am visual and what I could see when I walked in to the funeral home and during the service was more then I was expecting. Still two weeks later I have to block that picture from coming into my head. So instead I start thinking of moments with my grandmother. Some memories I had totally forgot about like every time I went to the grocery store or commissary with her when I was little she would by me a bag of puffed Cheetos. They were such a treat because that would be the only time I would get them.

Another memory is when I was in my second cousins wedding. My great aunt and grandmother had made flower girl and my dresses. The night before the wedding I went to put on the dress and in just a couple of months I had grown a good 3 or 4 inches. The sleeves were to short and the dress was tea length when it was suppose to be ankle length. The other little girls dress fit perfectly. I remember crying my eyes out. My grandmother and my aunt were both astonished so they had to come up with something quick. Luckily this was the late 70’s and ruffle and lace were a common embellishment for the dresses. So grandmother found some ultra wide eyelet lace and added it to the hem and sleeves of my dress. Viola it fit perfect. However it no longer looked exactly like the other little girls dress and she made a comment about it. I don’t remember what she said but I remember it making me cry all over. I don’t know what my grandmother said to me and I am pretty sure my mom god bless her was telling me to suck it up but I some how stopped my bawling and by the time it was to walk down the aisle I was okay. I don’t know what would have happened if it wasn’t for my grandmother and her quick thinking. I remember not wanting to be in the wedding because I felt like a freak show in the dress that was too short.

Me in another dress made by my Great Aunt Char (left) and Grandmother (right)

That seemed to be the way my grandmother was no matter how bad I was feeling she always would find a way to make me laugh. She was always able to laugh at any situation and more importantly herself. Although it has been a long road I am great at laughing at myself. Sometimes to the point it makes others uncomfortable that I can come right out and make fun of myself and look at what is happening in my life as funny. My girls are all ready starting to learn this and I hope this helps them to have a better self esteem then I did when I was their age because if you can laugh at yourself then it really doesn’t matter what others think does it?

As my grandmother always said I’ll drink to that!
My mom (left) with my grandmother on New Years many years ago.

Today I am just going to let you know about some great deals going on this week. I will start with Joann’s. I went there yesterday and they have so much scrapbooking and paper crafts stuff on sale. There was more on sale then there wasn’t on sale. From stamps and inks to embellishments and stickers. I don’t mean 15% or 25% off either we are talking about 40% off. Punches and cards it really is worth looking into. If you don’t have a Joann’s near you don’t worry the sale is online too.just check out their site
Have you ever signed up to be on Sizzix’s mailing list? If you have a die cut machine or are hoping to get one this is the place to go. Especially on Tuesdays. Just check out their great Tuesday only deals and take a look at their last chance items as well.

My friend Lori sent me this link yesterday. She always finds the greatest blogs and websites. I wish I could be half as organized as Nancy at iStamp My goal as soon as the girls and I are back in school is to try to get my house better organized. Especially my craft area so I can start working not only on things for my website/craft fairs and gifts for the upcoming holidays that will be up soon but for my clients. Do you have a great craft area? I’d love to see it. I am sure many of us would

When you think of maps you usually think of directions. It is no wonder why maps are a great tool for scrap booking and card making. They are especially helpful if you have plans to go to a crop or you don’t have as much time as you would like to scrap. When you already have maps to follow you can pack the tools and embellishments you need ahead of time. You are also more likely to knock more pages out at a crop with maps. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a doodler. It is hard for me to just sit and listen. So many times you will see me writing or drawing during a class or a study or while waiting for an appointment. Don’t think that means I am not listening usually I am listening better then I would if I was just sitting there because my mind isn’t wandering. It is during these times I have learned to carry a notebook and pen with me. That way I can sketch some maps for my paper arts. It is also helpful because if I have an inspiration hit me I can draw it out right away. Otherwise I might forget a fab idea. Here are a few examples of some maps I did during a MOMS group. You can find map places online. Many of the paper arts magazines seem to be adding maps too. Remember maps aren’t just for scrap booking. You can use maps for cards, ATC’s, altered art projects and anything else you can think of. Please give credit to the artist whose maps you use.

Does your honey like going to the local do it yourself centers? Or do you have some projects that need to be done around the house and unless you go with him/her you know the supplies will never be bought? Look at the hardware store as a new place for scrap booking and paper arts supplies. What could there possibly be at the do it yourself stores that you can use for paper arts? Just think about it. How about the colored electrical wire for binding mini books or for making wired titles or 3-D stems for die cut flowers?

Of course in the paint section you have paint chip samples but how about the $1 to $5 mixed paints that people decided against after it was mixed (sometimes there are even textured paints) or mini sample paint jars. While you are still in the paint aisle the blue masking tape is as great to use for your paper projects as it is for painting as are the different textured sponges and brushes.

In the hardware section how about the cute little screws, bolts, and nuts for a cool boy or home improvement scrapbook page. The nuts and bolts are also cool for binding mini books or for applying a tag to a gift bag. Clearance wall paper is great for gift wrapping or making paper gift box and bags with. These are just a few ideas to endless possibilities. I bet next time you get dragged to the home improvement store you will see it with new eyes… your paper art eyes. Don’t forget the sand paper it makes great sand for summer cards and it also is great for distressing your papers.

home improvement stores, Home Depot, Lowes, Sherwin-Williams COLOR System, scrapbooking, card making, altered art, all paper arts

Her is a little pillow box I made. I plan on making at least three of these for each of my girl’s teachers. If I have time I will make some for their past teachers as well. I am going to let the girls pick out some little treats to put inside like candy, paper clips, mini post it pads, or whatever inspires us. I always like to give the teachers a card on the first day of school so this year we will add this little treat to go with it. The box is so simple it is just a matter of tracing the template and cutting it out. The dotted lines are the fold lines. You can also buy templates at the craft stores or find free templates on the internet. This is the pattern I have been using it is not perfect because it is free hand but it works well enough for me. If you have a scoring tool it will really help with the folds.


click for larger image

pillow box, scrapbooking, card making, all paper arts

It is really hot here these days. I am talking in the 100’s. The lawn really needed to be mowed so I was up at 7 a.m. mowing to keep from passing out. Let me tell you it was still hot. After taking a shower I sat under the ceiling fan and watched Crafters Coast to Coast on DIY TV. Where I saw this awesome Faux Old World Tapestry Project by Julie Engelau from Round Rock, Texas. There is even step by step instructions on the website. To see more of the artist’s work check out her website. Old World Wall Treasures The good news is even if you don’t want to make your own you can order one straight from her website.

hgtv, diy, scrapbooking, card making, all paper arts, faux tapestries, crafters coast to coast

Sorry I haven’t posted in a few days. I have been trying to cope with the loss of my grandmother by keeping busy. This evening I have been looking for pictures of red water lilies. Why red water lilies? Since I was about 18 I have been contemplating getting a tattoo. At first I was still in high school and my mom asked me to please respect her enough to not do anything to my body until after I no longer lived with her. So that kept me from getting something ridiculous or cheesy on my ankle. Then time slipped by and I didn’t think about it much. A few years ago I started thinking about it again but I couldn’t decide what I wanted. I want something that has meaning and yet can still be private. The whole family loves to watch shows like Miami Ink and Inked so it was no surprise we watched the LA INK premiere on Tuesday night. I of course had my grandmother on my mind and seeing all these women tattoo artists got me really inspired. So I got out my sketch book thinking some great idea was going to come out of my head. No luck then I started thinking about my grandmothers name Ruby this was her first name but she went by her middle name. I knew she was named Ruby because she was born in July and a ruby is the birthstone. From there I went to look for the July flower. I wasn’t to impressed with the first flower but then I saw that water lilies are an alternative flower. I love water lilies! I then started looking up pictures and realized there are pink and red water lilies. So I just happened to type in Ruby Water Lilies in the search engine and all of the sudden I found all these lilies with the name Ruby. After years of not knowing what I would want I now know exactly what I want to get done. Now I just have to draw up a general idea and get up the nerves to actually do it. So here are some images I found while searching for ruby water lilies. From this entire lily search I also have come up with a wonderful scrapbook page of my grandmother. This just shows me that my grandmother will still always be an inspiration to me.

water lilies, Miami Ink, LA Ink, Kat Von D, scrapbooking, card making, all paper arts, birthstones, rubies

My post is short today. A hero of mine has passed away. My grandmother was a wonderful role model. If I can be just a little bit of the person she was then I will be doing well in life. My entire life I have never known a person so friendly and so loved by everyone. My own friends would call her grandmother and call her up for recipes even long after the friend and I may have stopped talking. She was the grandmother you would get on a plane alone when you were a kid to visit for a few weeks in the summer. She taught me how to sew, crochet, bake, cook, and use my imagination. She was always doing for others not because she had to but because she wanted to. Which I think is one of the reasons I take so much pleasure in doing for others as well. I am so thankful that my girls were able to have time with her as well. I could go on forever talking about how wonderful my grandmother is. Because of my grandmother I always had faith that tomorrow would be better and that love is never ending. Thank you Grandmother for being.

Yesterday my husband was watching the “huntin’” shows that he had saved on the DVR. The day before that the giant Cabela’s catalog came in. So needless to say it must be getting close to that season, Hunting Season. The time of year when many women and even a few men become widow/widowers to the wild outdoors. In our house September 1st is an important day not just because it is our anniversary but because it is opening day for Dove season. For those who don’t know Dove Season is the first season of the year. When we decided to get married on the 1st I thought for sure it was because it was on Labor Day Weekend and it would be convenient for our guests. The truth is we got married on the 1st so hubby will never forget that our anniversary is the same day as Dove Season. That is not the only time opening day has affected something big in our lives. Our youngest was about 2 weeks early just so the possibility of her being born on opening weekend would not happen. That was my doctors idea not my husbands (who was thankful that the doctor brought it up) because my doctor is a hunter too. He told me if I wanted to be sure he would be the doctor to deliver my baby that I needed to be induced before opening weekend otherwise he’d be out hunting. In honor of the hunters or hunter widows out there here is a card designed by one of my card party buddies. This one was the one my mom made and gave to my hubby for his past birthday.

card making, dove hunting, cabelas, scrapbooking, all paper arts

As much as I love paper arts my very favorite love is photography. I was the chief photographer for the newspaper and yearbook when I was in high school. I had ambitions of working for National Geographic when I was young but I didn’t want to be a photo-journalist. I have had a few photos published in books. I especially love black and white and have everything for a darkroom which at the present time is collecting dust in my attic. My favorite things to photograph are children, nature, animals, and old buildings all in natural light. My 9 year old has already started asking for a digital camera she actually asked a year or so ago. She seems to have a natural ability as well. Sometimes it is hard for me to hand over the camera because I don’t want to spend tons of money developing roles of film with only a few good shots. When family was in town a few weeks ago I took my 35mm and my digital camera down to the stockyards to take pictures. I passed the digital camera over to my girls who took turns shooting it. I was worried I would be up all night deleting pictures which would still be better then getting film developed. However, I was actually impressed by what great shots my girls got. Keep in mind these are by children ages 5, 7, and 9. Every picture on this post was taken by the girls. So next time you decide you want to capture some memories why not hand the camera over to some of the younger members of the family. By the way none of the photos have been cropped or altered in any way.

digital photography, black and white photography, scrapbooking, card making, all paper arts, Fort Worth Stockyards

I found this little index card holder at Target several months ago. I believe it was $1. Inside it has several dividers. I thought this would be really neat to alter and make a recipe holder. Better yet a recipe holder for sweet things only! Yum! I love to bake and make candies and desserts. I also have had this piece of chocolate chip scrapbook paper (which is the background paper I used) that I really liked. Every time I looked at the paper I wanted to bake cookies or brownies. I still need to add some more dazzle (you know me I can never have to many ribbons) but here is what I have done so far. I am sure this would be a good stopping point for most people. The lid was already blue fabric and had the snap when I bought it as you can tell from the before picture. Can you believe I actually refrained from making a ribbon purse strap for it? This really took very little time to alter. Plus, the fun part isn’t over. I mean just think of all the cute little recipe cards you can make to put inside. It is a never ending project!

scrapbooking recipe cards, altered recipe holders, altered art, all paper arts, sweet recipes

Yesterday was a very unusual day. I went and registered for school. No, I am not talking about registering my children for school. I registered myself for school. After more then 15 years I am going back to college. I didn’t go back after my first year. The emotions are so varied minute to minute. At one moment I am excited and then the next I am a nervous wreck. I know or at least I am hoping I will do better this time around. I am more focused and have finally figured out what ways I learn best. At the same time it is scary because I will be going during the day when all of the kids just out of high school are going. If they aren’t just out of high school they aren’t too much older. Of course with that come some good points. Since I am not worried about the social aspect I can be the person in the front row, I can walk around alone and not be considered a snob or loner, and I really don’t have to worry about want anyone thinks. On the other hand I am almost old enough to be some of the kids mom granted I would have had to have them when I was in high school but still. What do I wear? I don’t want to look like a “mom” but I don’t want to look like an idiot trying to dress 16 years younger. See what I mean about the range of emotions. Luckily I am starting back up at the local community college so hopefully when it comes time to transfer to a university I will have gotten over much of my fears. So my next step is to start looking for scholarships (for stay at home moms going back to school) so when university time comes around I can afford it. Thanks for reading today I know this has nothing to do with paper arts but it is something happening in my life right now. So I guess you can look at it like I am making new memories that I can journal, scrapbook, and share with others. Most important I am showing my girls the importance of getting a higher education.

Check back later today for my dessert box I have been up making this morning.