Autumnal Sunshine

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I've been for a walk 
On a winter's day

                                                               "California Dreamin' "

Mother Nature seems to have skipped over fall and sent us right into winter...it is 28 degrees in central Louisiana this morning! I haven't even had a chance to enjoy the cool, sunny fall days that I love. I will be taking advantage of the warmer temps next week!

There's a new challenge up on the Southern Girls blog and the theme is to use inks or sprays. The sponsors for this challenge are Neat and Tangled and A Day for Daisies . Each company is generously offering gift certificates to our randomly chosen winners, so be sure to link up your inky creations for a chance to win!

I created an autumn themed art journal layout for my design team project. I found a quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne that sums up exactly how I feel on beautiful fall days!



I used three digital images from A Day for Daisies in my design, A Barrel of Blossoms,  Catching Leaves, and Joy. I love the versatility of using digital images in my designs! I created my design in Photoshop Elements, printed on mixed media paper, and used Gansai Tambi watercolors, distress inks and Prismacolor pencils to color the images.

I can think of so many fun techniques with inks and sprays, but I chose simplicity for this project.  I added some background spatters with an OLD bottle of metallic copper Memories Mist. I haven't used it in years and it still works! The spray mechanism was clogged, so I just took it off and used it to flick droplets onto the background. I also added some water droplets to lift some of the distress ink from the background for added interest. All of the different mediums worked well together. I even blended the colored pencils with Gamsol and didn't get any lifting from the watercolors or distress inks. This is definitely a combination I'll use again! 

Be sure to visit the Southern Girls blog for more inspiration from the Design Team and link up your "inked and sprayed" creation for a chance to win one of our prizes or be one of the Southern Girls' top 5!

I'll look for you in the gallery! 

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Freckles and a Temper

"The so-called Irish temperament is a mixture of flaming ego, hot temper, stubbornness, great personal charm and warmth, and a wit that shines through adversity. An irrepressible buoyancy, a vivacious spirit, a kindliness and tolerance for the common frailties of man and a feeling that 'it is time enough to bid the devil good morning when you meet him' are character traits which Americans have associated with their Irish neighbors for more than a century." ~Carl Wittke

My father-in-law loves to say that I have an Irish temper. He's right. I can get hot quick and stay mad for a long time. But when I cool off,  I'll hug your neck and forget it just as fast. I suppose I get it honest, my great grandmother was a Cagle and that is an old Irish name. It's taken my husband most of our marriage to learn to sidestep my Irish temper, but he's mastered the dance pretty well. He's also really good at keeping me in check. This scene is from my all time favorite movie The Quiet Man. This is exactly something my husband would do and me too for that matter!

https://youtu.be/MkQyRE0byBI

He's crazy, wildly inappropriate and doesn't give a @#$%. He loves to embarrass me...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10217533327352952&set=a.4762432626638&type=3&theater

BUT,  I like it too. Salty and sweet, it's a good mix!

Today's post is part of the Cupcake Inspirations green and brown color challenge.



Our sponsor for this challenge is A Day for Daisies and they are generously offering a $12 gift certificate to our randomly chosen winner!



My card was inspired by a quote from my favorite movie and the Garden Chair Gathering digital image from A Day for Daisies!



I created my card layout in Photoshop Elements and printed on mixed media paper. I colored the background using Distress inks and Gansai Tambi watercolors for shading. The chairs were colored with Prismacolor colored pencils and blended with Gamsol and a paper stump.



I love it so much I think I'm going to frame it and put it somewhere I can admire it.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Sweeties have created for the challenge and link up your green and brown creation for a chance to win!

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Think Happy Thoughts

Life is complicated and messy, but surprising and wonderful all at the same time. It's so easy to become negative with all the chaos around us, but you can choose to be happy.

I will be 49 in March. That sounds so strange! Midlife, middle age...the wrong side of forty! Eh, it's just a number. I hit a turning point in my life this year and I choose to focus on happiness for the next half of it. It's very simple, if it doesn't feel good/right I don't want to do it. It may sound selfish, but if I walk away from an encounter feeling good, I bet the other person(s) feels pretty good too. That sounds more like giving to me! Happiness is contagious and it is so easy to spread. Think happy thoughts and you will fly!

Today's post is part of the Cupcake Inspirations cream, rose and black color theme challenge!

A Day for Daisies is our sponsor for this challenge and is generously providing a $12 gift certificate to our randomly chosen winner.

I used A Day for Daisies Penguin Flight digital stamp for the focal image on my card.

I typed up the sentiment in Photoshop Elements and added it to the document with the penguin digital image to create my card panel.

I printed on tan mixed media paper and colored the images with colored pencils and blended with gamsol and a paper stump.

I liked this so much I made another one in a different color scheme!

Click here for more inspiration from the Design Sweeties and the link join the challenge. I'll look for you in the gallery!

Do more of what makes you happy!

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