NAILED IT!

This week was Millie's "birthday week"! The girls came to town Saturday, and I took them to get their nails done and a trip to Michael's. They got mani/pedis "LSU" nails at Impressive Nails (purple and gold tiger stripes with gold tiger paws on their ring fingers). Millie said, "Impressive nails? Hmmmmm, that's impressive!"

I gave them each a $20 limit at Michael's, and we were in there FOREVER until I had to put a time limit on it too. Geez, they are worse than me! No arts and crafts supplies though, they were mesmerized by the "junk" toys. SMH...

Polished up, got their goodies, riding down the highway singing at the top of their lungs to Taylor Swift's "Teardrops on My Guitar"...NAILED IT!

[caption id="attachment_1329" align="alignnone" width="3600"] Club Scrap Dahlias Digital kit, April technique challenge (stained glass effect) created using elements from the kit, Photoshop filters and effects, and ALSB Idea Deck Vol.2 4♦ card.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1330" align="alignnone" width="5184"] Hybird card made using Club Scrap Dahlias digital kit and printed on Club Scrap cardstock. ALCM Vol.2, 4♦card.[/caption]

Do more of what makes you HAPPY!

Wendy

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Showering Baby Gus!

I am the oldest of five.



My youngest brother was born my senior year of high school...SAME parents! He arrived just as I was leaving for college. It is ironic that he and his wife will be having their first baby, just as my youngest is graduating from high school and leaving for LSU!

[caption id="attachment_1307" align="alignnone" width="382"] That's MY baby![/caption]

Family and friends hosted a shower for baby Gus a few weeks ago. We have a big family when we all get together, Baby Gus will make grandbaby #10 for my parents!

[caption id="attachment_1299" align="alignnone" width="1296"] 4 of the 9 grandkids and two cousins![/caption]

If he is half as cute as these baby pictures of his mommy and daddy, he'll be one handsome little booger!



So here's to new beginnings! A new baby, new graduates (my brother is graduating from college!) and a new chapter in all of our lives!

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Spring has Sprung!

I am my own worst critic. I usually end up changing things at the last minute. Hey, if you aren't happy with something, erase it, tear it up, burn it, paint it black...start over! I started with this...



I taped off a tree branch with washi tape and inked over it with distress inks. I spent a good hour painting the embossed cloissone egg stamps with perfect pearls and water. THEN I didn't like that the eggs blended into the background. So, I highlighted with a black pen. NOOOO!!! I should never do things when I am tired. I got mad, cut all the eggs out (and the tree branch) and slept on it. Fresh eyes always make better decisions.

[caption id="attachment_1241" align="aligncenter" width="5184"] Michael Strong cloisonne cameos stamps, Club Scrap cardstock, Distress Inks background, Perfect Pearls "watercolor", Cuttlebug wood grain embossing folder.[/caption]

I'm glad I didn't crumple everything up and throw it away! Whew! The soft colors remind me of the illustrations in Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit. I loved that book! (I still do!)



Challenges entered:

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 348



Club Scrap PSL Week 2 Challenge Fibers

Do more of what makes you happy!

Wendy

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Blah, Blah, Blah...

I'm showing my age here...Did you have one of these lip pillows as a kid?



My grandmother made one for me when I was little. It graced the head of my bed with all the other stuffed animals until I left for college. I wonder where that thing is?!

What about this 1970's Avon lip gloss? I wanted this sooooooo bad!



(Shrug) I didn't get it, but I did get the chocolate chip cookie!



When I was grocery shopping recently, I saw this designer collection on the paper products aisle. The design with the lips drew me in. Of course I bought all the designs!  It was childhood brainwashing!

[caption id="attachment_1235" align="alignnone" width="650"] Betsy Johnson Kleenex Collection[/caption]

So, my card was inspired by a designer Kleenex box. Hey... it's nothing to sneeze at!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2295"] Club Scrap card stock, Indie Art Cricut cartridge, Dylusions paint, gold leaf pen, Club Scrap sentiment stamp[/caption]

Challenges entered:

CAS(E) this Sketch #160, Club Scrap 02-2016 Technique Challenge, Club Scrap PSL Challenge week 1



Do more of what makes you happy!

Wendy

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3 of a kind, a little masking and a monsoon

I spent this "Monsoon Monday" making cards and avoiding housework. The weather was TERRIBLE! AND... the boys left a window open, so the hallway to their room was drenched. So, I"checked out" from reality for most of the day...

[caption id="attachment_1186" align="alignnone" width="600"] Club Scrap 3 of a kind PSL Challenge[/caption]



I saw this pin on Pinterest. Cute huh?



This is my interpretation…though the finger painting was awful cute on the pin, I love this stamp! It's a Club Scrap oldie but goodie.

[caption id="attachment_1187" align="alignnone" width="600"] Club Scrap February Technique Masking Tape Challenge[/caption]

I didn't get much housework done, but I feel like I accomplished a lot today!

"If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased."~ Katharine Hepburn 

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Once upon a time...

Once upon a time these were new,  spotless and white, with little fat toes squirming in them.

[caption id="attachment_1145" align="alignnone" width="4636"] DPS Photography Challenge [/caption]

They belonged to this little girl.



Who belonged to that Memaw. I can still smell the lingering smell of bacon and coffee in that kitchen and hear the sounds of my sister and I running on the hardwood floors. Her pretty hands were soft from cocoa butter lotion that she kept by the kitchen sink and her nails were always perfectly shaped with an emery board. Her nimble fingers could cut out paper dolls from the McCall's magazine, hand stitch  baby doll clothes in an afternoon and make the most delicious pies and cakes. I miss her dearly. All of these memories from a little pair of shoes, once upon a time.

Wendy

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Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez!

This weekend will be the BIG party weekend for Louisiana Mardi Gras! We moved to New Orleans in 1974 when my dad started dental school at LSUSD. Four years later we were seasoned revelers and rarely missed a Mardi Gras. We had some good times in N'awlins!

Day parades were an all day affair. Dad would make sandwiches assembly line style, pack the ice chest, we'd have tons of snacks, a blanket to sit on and we were ready to catch some beads! This layout features a picture my sister found of us waiting on the boulevard for the parade. We were bored and the street vendor just sold us all a new pair of sunglasses! Good times!

[caption id="attachment_1088" align="alignnone" width="864"] Digital LO's created using Club Scrap's Celebrate digital backgrounds and elements from other kits in my stash. [/caption]

When my sister moved to NOLA for grad school, her apartment was right on the uptown parade route. We ALL crashed at her house for the weekend! This layout features my youngest son hitching a ride on the shoulders of anyone who would carry him. He was caught up in the bead catching frenzy! My brothers made him a beer can necklace and put a mullet wig on him and the float riders would throw right to him. The rest of us would stand behind him and catch everything he missed! "Jake the Snake" strikes again!



I'm ready for some kingcake and some parading! Happy Mardi Gras!

Wendy

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Rrrribbit....

Who knew origami could be so "ribbiting"?! I found this origami frog tutorial yesterday when I was searching for easy origami tutorials.



He really hops too! I think I remember making something like this when I was in elementary school. I'm pretty sure the teacher confiscated all of them from the class because paper frogs were hopping all over the room!

I made a card using the 4♣ card from the ALCM Idea Deck Vol. 2. The cutting instructions are on the back, so you don't waste any paper!



Of course I decorated the card with a jumping frog!

[caption id="attachment_1030" align="alignnone" width="3965"] Club Scrap card stock and sentiment stamp. Decopatch paper for the origami frog.[/caption]



It's EASY when you know how!

Wendy

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01-2016 Technique Challenge...Origami!

I loved paper folding when I was a kid. Remember these?



This month's Club Scrap Technique Challenge is to use origami elements on your scrapbooking or projects. I googled "easy origami tutorials" and this came up in the search results...Oh yeah, my kind of easy!

https://youtu.be/F-hoZJYxnU8

I found some Decopatch paper that was just right for folding and this is what I ended up with.

[caption id="attachment_1018" align="alignnone" width="3456"] Club Scrap cardstock and stamp sentiment. Decopatch paper origami fish.[/caption]

 

Check out this Club Scrap blog post for more origami inspired artwork. Do more of what makes you happy!

Wendy

 

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♫ Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'...♫

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1f7eZ8cHpM]

I loved that song when I was a kid! My sister and I would belt out the tunes in the backseat of Mom's Cutlass Supreme. We'd belt out tunes anywhere for that matter! This song was the first thing that popped in my head when I read the rules for the Club Scrap NBUS Challenge (Never Before Used Stuff) for this month...use a time/clock stamp or stencil. I challenged myself further and scrounged through my paper scraps to put this together. I like it!



The cat clock is from the CS March 2015 50's Kitchen kit. The background and sentiment stamp are from past Club Scrap kits as well. Oh! AND I used my Wink of Stella pen for sparkle, bought that over the summer and never used it! SMH...

Do MORE of what makes you happy!

Wendy

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True Love...

I was going to clean up my craft room and got distracted after I found a basket of Cricut die cuts. Creativity struck ( or was it avoidance of the huge pile of laundry I need to fold?!) and this card was born! Now I’m in a Valentine card making mood. My craft room will have to wait!

                

The card was posted in the Club Scrap 01/16 Card Sketch Challenge. All card stock is from Club Scrap. Stamp image from the Club Scrap Love Inkorporated 2011 kit.

Do more of what makes you happy!

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Bird Crazy and Dylusional!

I buy art supplies and they collect dust. It's probably a sickness, but (shrug) that's what I do. It's not that I don't want to use them, it's just...making time and time's a tickin'. I have done something artistic every day since January 1. I didn't really plan on making a New Year's resolution, it just happened and I have been sticking to it.  It takes 30 days to make a habit right? We'll see.

December 31, 2015 I cracked open my brand new Dylusions art journal ( I have two for some reason?) and stared at the empty pages. I peeled the plastic off of the new Dylusions spray inks I bought, closed my eyes and picked one. I sprayed all over the page. Red is my favorite color and I guess that was all it took. I put the finishing touches on my page on New Year's Day and even took pictures for a blog post!



On journal page two (I drug this one out for a few weeks), I used Sharpies and practiced blending. I LOVE the Tim Holtz Bird Crazy stamps! After work I would sit on the couch with a lap desk and color my stamped images with Sharpies that had never been opened...(rolling my eyes). I WAS going to buy some Copics or Spectrum Noir markers, but I saw a video on shading and blending with Sharpies and decided to test it out. As long as you have the right paper, it works!



This guy is my favorite...



Just one more...



I guess I can hold off on the expensive markers for awhile. I'm sure there will be something else I will want to buy when I need some Hobby Lobby retail therapy.

Do more of what makes you happy!

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Keep it Tight!

Football season is over and on to the next adventure...POWERLIFTING!

So proud of this kid and all of his teammates, they swept the meet! The ASH Powerlifting Team has a winning reputation and placed first in Nationals last year. Looking forward to a great senior season!

Of course I had to document this event with a scrapbook layout or two, proud mom that I am...





These pages are made using elements from Club Scrap's Dashing digital kit from 2011 and the Surefire Strategy ALSB Formula from Club Scrap's Idea Deck Vol.2 10♥ card.

Here's to a winning season and an awesome group of athletes. It's a GREAT day to be a TROJAN!

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I'm Baaack!

I took a blogging break this fall. I focused on family, literally! This is my youngest son's senior year in high school and I was the self appointed football team photographer. I have been taking pictures of the ASH football team since he was a freshman. I started out just taking photos from the stands and finally took the leap to the sidelines during his sophomore year. This year I recruited my oldest son to help me, he has a fantastic eye for composition and a flair for videography. I am so proud of our work! This was our first collaboration...

Many, many hours of work went into this and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I set up an ASH Trojan Football YouTube channel to share all the videos we  documented for the ASH football players (and their families!) to watch and enjoy in years to come.

I also took on a huge first time project, making the senior football players' banners to hang in the stadium.



I didn't stop there, I also made starting offense and defense banners as well...

I loved the way these looked hanging on the fence coming into the stadium. LOTS of fan selfies were taken with these behind them!

And last, I need to give a shout out to my husband. He cooked for the team every home game, carried my equipment, gave me insight on the field so that I could get the best shots, drove us to all the games, was the Trojans' biggest fan and won't take credit for any of it! I love this guy!



I handled the end of the season much better than I thought I would. We made it to the playoffs but lost to Hahnville High School. It was a GREAT season for the Trojans and I'm so proud of my Trojan for leaving it all on the field every game.







AND...He always makes time for his fans!



Here's to a great season, an awesome football team and the best family. It's a GREAT day to be a Trojan!

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