enjoy the journey

Remember the Phantom Tollbooth?  It's about this boy named Milo who is bored by the world around him and thinks everything is just a plain waste of time.  He comes home from school one day to find a package labeled, "For Milo, who has plenty of time."  After fully assembling, we find Milo in his toy car transported to the Land of Expectations through said Phantom Tollbooth. 

His imagination makes him feel like he's been gone weeks in this crazy mixed-up fairytale, when in reality he's only been "away" for an hour.  By the end of the story, Milo rushes home from school in hopes for another adventure to another land, but instead he finds another note, "For Milo, who knows the way."  Although he is disappointed that his Tollbooth is gone, Milo looks around him and now finds his world as a new and interesting place. 

The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between, and Milo and his companions took great pleasure in doing just that.  -Norton Juster

Some days I sit here thinking about starting yet another boring day.  You know...get up, straighten the house, go to work, cook dinner, work out, watch TV.  Sort of a lather, rinse, repeat kinda deal.  But then I think of Milo and am reminded of all the little things in life that are so menial, yet so important at the same time.  Right now I'm sitting here with papers strewn about in the midst of creating two cards and one scrapbook layout, listening to Miranda Lambert, writing this blog and talking to my sister in law on the phone and I couldn't be happier.  All the little things we do make up one big life.  Just remember to enjoy the journey.

The [Eath Day!] Ingredients:



 Card: 100% recycled kraft paper

Patterned Paper: DCWV - Safari Chic (scraps from a layout)

Corrugate: Upcycled from a 200#Test box, liner removed

Stamps: Stampers Anonymous - Just Thoughts; Rubbernecker - Victorian Bicycle, Old World Map

Ink and Paint: Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Black Soot, Antique Linen; Folk Art Paint - Wicker White

Emboss: Versamark ink and Stampendous Detail Black Embossing Powder

Embellish: K&Company - Squares Clearly Yours

Threads: 100% Recycled Jute

Adhesive: Double Faced Tape - 3M Archival Safe

Tools: EK Success - Corner Rounder; Tim Holtz - Distresser; Marvey Uchida - Embossing Heat Tool

The Recipe:

1. Go to Unscripted Sketches and check out Sketch #155!

2.  Select color scheme.  This week: Earth Day and something a little more masculine.

3.  Kraft Paper: Cut, folded and corners rounded

4.  Giraffed Paper: Map Stamp stamped and embossed, then edges distressed and inked.

5.  Corrugate: Peel the top liner, dry brush paint and let dry.   Stamp bicycle and journey sentiment.

6.  Adhere papers to card, embellish with clear squares and jute.

7.  Get creative, maker your own, post to your blog, link to Unscripted Sketches and leave a comment here!

There's no place like...

Being home for Easter with my whole family got me feeling nostalgic. 

Hubs and I live in a brand new community with itty bitty stick trees in our front yard.  The tallest trees are seeing their first spring bloom and when I sit on my back deck (which we had built last spring) I see construction of the houses to come.  I can see the sky for miles...there is no obstruction really, and the lights from the industrial park up the hill always makes for pretty sunsets.

But when I go back home, it's totally different.  Although I wasn't born in this house, I've lived in it the majority of my life (as in, we moved in when I was 2).  The trees are huge.  I know that sounds crazy to say, but they are.  The Bradford Pears are in full bloom and that funny looking tree that has always reminded me of a kangaroo is hopping, too.  I have noticed how these trees took root and really blossomed.  When I go home, I am reminded of how much I have grown over the years.  And even though I grew up and started my own semi-adult life (stick trees included), my roots are always at home.

The goodsPatterned Paper: Echo Park: Life is Good

Ink: Adirondak - Watermelon
Embellish: Echo Park: Life is Good

Adhesive - PopDots: All Night Media, Double Faced Tape: 3M Archival Safe

This sketch is brought to you by Unscripted Sketches.  This is my first full week on the team and I couldn't be happier!  Can't wait for what's in store for me in this-coming year. 

For this card, I was inspired by the large image and the three lines.  I turned the three lines on a diagonal in the corner to weigbalance the paper pieced image.  The blue and green for the sky and grass were both cut using my trusty fiskars paper cutter.  The rest is cut using scissors and my imagination.  This card has a very simple design, but the paper piecing of the home image coordinted with the Life is Good line really make it pop(dots)!

Here is a link to Sketch 154.  Thanks for looking, and don't forget to visit Unscripted Sketches and play along!

Get Unscripted

So, I was keeping it a secret, but I made the Unscripted Sketches Design Team!  I'm really excited to be a part of this amazing group and can't wait to see what the following weeks have in store for me!

So what is Unscripted Sketches you say?  Every Saturday morning a sketch is posted for the week.  Flip the sketch, rotate it...create a card, a scrapbook page, or anything your imagination comes up with!  There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted Sketch as the inspiration!   Once you've let your creative juices flow, link up your project to your blog and to their website!  It's way fun...I promise!

Not only is it Unscripted Sketch Week # 153, it's also their 3rd year in the blogosphere.  What a better way to make my Design Team debut than in their Blog-o-versary!

To celebrate, here is my card:  Colors inspired by my new glasses.  They make me smile :D

The goods
Cardstock: Kraft paper from somewhere
Patterned Paper: K&Company -Designer Paper stack; Jenni Bowlin - MEMO Note Book
Ink: Adirondak - Slate Grey
Stamps: The {Stamps} of Life - birthday2celebrate
Embellish: Cosmo Cricket - Honey Pie chipboard
Ribbon: Local Scrapbooking Store (MLPA)

And the wonderful inspiration....drum roll please....Unscripted Sketch #153!

Hop on over top the Unscripted Sketches blog and play along!  Thanks for looking! 

Think.Happy.Thoughts.

Two weeks ago I stumbled upon this cool website, unscriptedsketches.com, and it was my catalyst to start posting again after I create.  Here is a picture of prompt 152 and pictures of my Key West page below!

I really must try to get better lighting in my scraproom.  It's great light for creating, but not exactly the best for taking pictures late at night.  Although, I must say that my debunked project to make a shutter bill rack (a la pinterest) has now come in handy for displaying my artwork.  Next project?  Altered clothespins.

Detail pics below:

Fussy cutting in the corner and paper pieces all the swirls and dots together.  The flowers are from Hero Arts and the rhinestones are from the dollar rack at a scrapbooking convention.

I've gotten bitten by the stamping bug.  Ink is Adirondak in Watermelon.  The alphabet is acrylic stamps from Autumn Leaves (Scribbles) and the block lettering is a re-gift from my mom (source unknown).  The ribbon is from Sinamay and is 100% Abaca Fibers (fancy!)

Thanks for looking!  And I encourage you to post your creations at Unscripted Sketches!

Cards Cards Cards

I am definitely feeling the March stamp set from The {Stamps} of Life. And lately I've been inspired by yellow and grey. I'm not sure if it's because it's the spring and all I can think about is sunshine, or if you make me happy when skies are grey :)

Picture one is for the Mother/Daugher Challenge that I do with my mom every month. I took the stems from the mum and made patterned paper in both yellow and grey. Added a touch of wild plum for the sentiment. (All inks are Adirondak).

Card number 2 is for my grandma's birthday on the 27th. The size is a little deceiving, it's actually only a 4x4 card, and I attached it to her birthday present (chocolate from Josh Early Candies!)

The third card is for my neice, Claire, who turned the distinguised age of two on March 23rd. I forgot to take a picture of the inside, but it also had a mum, and it was inked in a little spring scene. Today we celebrated in a parisian party theme, she looked adorable in her pink paris party dress, and loved the play food, plates and chef's outfit that Uncle Hans and I got her.

I must really get one of those card stands to take better pictures. Although, maybe I'm on to something by using my (old) glasses as a stand! Take no notice of me in the lens reflection.

Lastly, I found out about this Tuesday Trigger at my Moxie Fab World and decided it was fate to repost! Fun and funky must be in the air...check it out here! http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2012/03/tuesday-trigger-happy-happy-joy-joy.html

Thank you for looking!

MIA is an understatement

I think it's hysterical (and mildly embarassing) that my last post was in October. It's not that I haven't been doing anything, it's jus that I haven't been posting! Here is a recap of what I've done since then:

The Chicago connection came to PA for mom's birthday, all TEN of us (M/D, B/K/C, J/K/R and J/H) went to the Philadelphia Zoo. I think everyone's favorite part was the oragutans. There's just something about my father and monkeys that is absolutely hilarious.

I had posted about my prototype for my Christmas cards a while back, here is the finished outcome. I made 60 cards. Between Hans and I, we are blessed to have a lot of family and friends that we like to share the holiday season with.

Our Pittsburgh family surprised us with tickets to a Steelers game over Christmas. We had such a blast. It was Hans and my very first Steelers game, and we walked away with a W.

Santa came to Pittsburgh this year and brought, unfortunately, a nasty illness that took down everybody one by one. However, somehow by the time Christmas Day was here, Santa brought everybody good health, and signed Steelers stuff ;-)

New Years was celebrated with the C Family at our casa. We had a homemade pizza bar which all the nieces and nephews enjoyed. Then on New Years Day I took my first stab at pork and sauerkraut, and also BBQ pulled pork sandwhiches. We started off 2012 with full bellies and good fortune.

I've had a long (and strong) love/hate relationship with our fireplace build. Hans is doing an amazing job at it. Dad helped in some parts. To date, we have a working fireplace - just need the inspector to come sign off so that we can put up the stone. It's taken a while, but in the end, it's totally worth it.

For Christmas last year, I had promised K and K that I would make baby books for R and C's first year. It was a long undertaking, but I'm so happy with the results. C got her book on Christmas this year (my favorite page above, and the whole book below)

R got his book on his second birthday in January. My favorite page above, and the finished album below...Please pay no attention to how messy my desk looks in any of these pictures. It was very late when I was finally finished...

I saw my little man turn 2. He's the sweetest boy, and I love our Skype dates more than he can even fathom. Even though January it's bitter cold, it's always warm in the L house when we come to visit!

My friend B is getting married, had to celebrate her Bachelorette in style! Picture taken outside of Devon in Philadelphia. Had mahi mahi, which was a mazing, and a side of mushroom, leeks and gorgonzola cheese. It was delish. We then continued to celebrate on the party bus and at club G. Happy Nuptuals!

I did a complete overhaul to my scrapspace. All contents of the office were removed and then put back to my meticulous specifications. I'm so happy with it, and I can find everything again! Can't wait for the new island desk that I have my eye on that was post to my pinterest. Maybe that'll end up in the new basement scraproom (hint, hint).

I've also made some cards. Above is the card made for the Mother/Daughter monthly challenge at Stamps of Life. This is the February stamp. I must admit that I have been MIA for a while, but I'm back and very creative!

This card is being sent to a new, but very dear friend that moved away. She's starting her own etsy business and is super talented. I wish her nothing but the best in all of her new adventures! We decided that we were going to write letters and send them to each other. It's an old way to communicate, but it seems like our style.

And her's the bridal shower card for the Bachelorette. Same umbrellas, so many ways to use it!

So that's a brief synopsis of what's been going on with me. Today I'm spending the day with my momma. I've been looking forward to some time together for a while. Can't wait!

I have a list of cards that I want to make, scrapbook layouts that I want to create and a laundry list of items I want to complete in the house. I'll continue to take pictures and will post more frequently!

Christmas Card

Okay...so maybe it's a little too early to be thinking about my Christmas cards, but I'm pretty sure this is my prototype. My inspiration? The Mother/Daugher Challenge for the {Stamps} of Life. Stamp set is Penguins4Christmas!