Just to say hi and show you some peeks of new things

Hi everyone, it's me-ow Hana. Chris has been so sick (you have no idea how hard it has been for me missing my necessary amount of daily petting) but she is now well again and running around the house cleaning, cooking, and crafting so I thought I would take over the blog today.  I heard Chris telling Dan that she has so much happening on June 1st but that she couldn't show anything yet so I decided to show you some sneak peeks - but you need to come back on Tuesday to see the "reveal".
Over at These are a few of my favorite things, there will be something very very special - I repeat , very very special! with more prizes than you can imagine.

and Candy Shoppe Designs will have a new challenge posted

and the June manu of the month will be announced on ScrapGal so be sure to HOP on over.......

Chris is really into knitting right now and has cast on a new scarf called a Blade - it is in the shape of a long leaf and the colors of the yarns are so beautiful (and the yarns are so soft - I love to snuggle in them

Silks, rayons, and wool - soft - purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr BTW, that denim couch in Chris's studio is my favorite afternoon nap spot - and it is afternoon so......................me-yawn me-yawn

Just more thing before I curl up for my 10th nap of the day - Chris is also planning to join a Knit-along on Ravelry starting in June - the Summer of the Traveling Wrap - she is using a photo of a beach as her inspiration and has collected some beautiful and soft yarns - she will be using Jane Thornley's Knit a Beach techniques but the pattern for the wrap is one that Chris created by modifying a Suss Counsin's scarf pattern. 

Chris is also so busy right now trying to catch up with DT stuff (not sure what that is but sometimes I help edit her layouts if she leaves them out on the table overnight)  but I know that she will be posting on Tuesday for sure - yawn - stretch - yawn -

It's naptime - purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Queen of the Hive, a beeswax tutorial

Be sure to come over to http://thegalblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/queen-of-hive-or-busy-bee.html to see my tutorial on how I made this collage using Ranger Beeswax.

Sunshine Lollipops and .......

Just a short post to announce that the new challenge is up at http://candyshoppedesigns.blogspot.com/ - they are weekly now. For this challenge you need to use some lollipop flowers on your layout, card, project, whatever. I used some Bobunny paper, 2 kinds of thickers, and homemade lollipop flowers from paper scraps and buttons.
It's been a busy and tiring week but I did finish my Tuscan Olive wrap - I wove in the ends and added the beads on Friday. I am very pleased with it. Yesterday I wound yarn into balls in preparation to start my Blade scarf or Frond shawl.  I am thinking of knitting the Blade first as a practice piece. I will show some pix later.
I have been playing with some other art techniques and will be presenting a tutorial on the Galblog on Tuesday on something that is fun but very different from the normal types of stuff we all do for scrapping or art journaling.
I also received some happy mail this week - a super vintage style wall hanging from Amy (I won it on her blog). Amy, thank you so much - I love it!
Gotta go finish the laundry and read some more in my book, A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin - I really enjoy her books. Her main character is a female doctor who is a specialist in forensic medicine (like Kate Scarpetta) but the kicker is she lives during the Middle Ages so there are lots of complications.  Tonight Miss Marple starts on Masterpiece Mystery - it will be The Mirror Crack'd and stars Joanna Lumley - you know, Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved that show!

And be sure to check out the incredible kit giveaway on Lilibee's blog http://lilibeescrap.blogspot.com/2010/05/liberty-kit-and-super-giveaway-kit.html - it even has some Liberty fabric in it - and you know how much I love Liberty fabrics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also be sure to check out the Creative connection http://www.thecreativeconnectionblog.com/blog/2010/05/our-next-featured-artists-is-dara-dimagno.html#comment-6a0120a62d53b6970c013481802356970c - they have a fabulous giveaway of 3 Dara Dimago necklaces (gorgeous!) and info about the Creative Connection Event.

thanks for reading
ttfn
Chris

Layouts from the ScrapGal Crop

We had a super crop over at ScrapGals this past weekend - great layouts and projects from all of the DT members and from all of those who joined in with the fun and scrapping. I did the above layout for Heather's Fireflies challenge (you know the Fireflies song by Owl City?) I used some Gecko Galz paper and fairy stamps on this as well as some Pink Paislee alphas and a Hambly snowflake transparency. I made the ribbon bird of paradise from some funky ribbons that Kim had sent to me.

this was for Kim's Let's get dirty challenge - to use paints or mists and also do a lift. I lifted a Dina Wakley layout and used acrylic paints. What's funny is the background that I used in the first layout above originally started out to be my let's get dirty background - I used black gold glimmer mist on the orange paper but I hated it and threw it in the trashcan - then later I realized that it would work for Heather's challenge and had to dig it out and smooth it - you just never know!!!!!

this was for Judean's red,white & blue challenge - and you had to make a poppy for it so I made this huge one. the paper is vintage Prima and I colored it with Copic markers - the journaling card and labels are Jenni Bowlin

This was for Kim's yellow challenge - lots and lots and lots of yellow - don't you love that Prima umbrella paper? so charming! Of course I had to throw a little paint at it!

this was for Judean's other challenge and that was to create a layout using one of the pagemaps that we Scrapgals got to do this month - but you had to use another gal's pagemap so I used Heather's. The background paper is Stampington
And finally, Mandy's card challenge - you had to use stitching and stamps so............

not quite what she had in mind but hey, it works!!! LOL!!!!

and now I am exhausted! and need to tidy my studio - it's a mess with paper everywhere.

One of the DT members - Amy-  at TAAFOMFT has opened a new etsy shop where she is selling just wonderful collections of vintage goodies - check out her blog http://amuffoletto.blogspot.com/ . I know that you will be just as impressed as I am - I love vintage junque!

AND another DT member - Sarah - at TAAFOMFT is having a giveaway on her blog http://redoaklines.com/ of Imaginesce products so be sure to check it out  - it ends on Saturday.

thanks for reading and hope you have a great week
ttfn
Chris

Fantastic blog giveaway on Lynette's blog

Is this not a fabulous giveaway?    A treasure of Blue Moon Scrapbooking goodies being given away on Lynette's blog - go on over there right now http://desperatearmyhousewife.blogspot.com and get in the pot - it's awesome!!!!! You have until May 29 but don't wait - this is too good!!!!!

 Plus Lynette has listed a couple of super kits for sale over at http://candyshoppedesigns.blogspot.com/ in honor of our latest challenges - Snap Crackle Pop and Lollipop Girls so be sure to check them out!!!! Above is SCP and below is LG

and don't forget to enter our great challenges - a new one each week!!!!!!!! Wait till you see the fantastic layouts by the DT - just brilliant!

I will be back later with some new layouts.
ttfn

What would Jane do - she'd scrap

Lots of challenges this weekend (the ScrapGal crop continues tonight and tomorrow there will be a challenge posted for the May Sampler at scrapbookingsuppliesrus) but today - right now - is the newest challenge at http://whatisyourfavething.blogspot.com/ What is your favorite book? I have quite a few favs based on time of year and what I am into at that time - fav romance, fav fantasy, fav mystery - you know.......but when we went cruising on our sailboat, I only had a small bookshelf by my bed into which I could place the books I wanted with me (we also had a bag for trading libraries along the way - mostly paperbacks) - Anyway one of my favorites that I returned to time and again was this copy of Jane Austen's novels in one volume - my absolute favorite JA book is Persuasion but I also love P&P, S&S, and Emma. Northanger Abbey is good for a laugh but Mansfield Park is my least fav but it does have some great quotes.  I made the flower from a vintage hanky - the paper is "vintage" K&co with Lilybee diecut squares.  We would love to see your favorite read! Be sure to check out the fabulous DT layouts and then show us your stuff!!!!!

And also today is the new challenge for http://candyshoppedesigns.blogspot.com/ Cotton Candy - it is to use the colors pale blue, pink, black, and red - check them out - it's a fun color combo. The photo is of a compass rose that we had on our boat and now is on our front porch. It is weathering to a gorgeous patina and always reminds me of the many changes in latitude that I have experienced in my life. The paper is Stampington, the transparency is Hambly, and the alphas are October Afternoon.  Come on over and see what the DT has created with these colors and then show us what you can do!!!!!

I also have a blog post up at The Sampler for http://www.scrapbookingsuppliesrus.com/ . This layout was made with the May Sampler - check it out - it's full of wonderful products and also check out the new DT which includes Sarah de Guzman, who is a fantastic designer and one of my fellow designers at TAAFOMFT. Congrats to Sarah!!!!!

Thanks for reading and hope you have a wonderful Saturday!
ttfn
Chris

Angels and insects

My creative juices are really flowing this week as I decided to return to playing with paint, paper, and fabric. I created the above canvas for Gecko Galz - the canvas was gessoed and then painted with ivory acrylic paint, then some gel medium, and then bronze acrylic paint. I took a cloth and wiped some of the bronze away. Then I used a Gecko Galz stamp to add some texture. The ephemera are all Gecko Galz as are the vintage buttons (so love them!!!!). I added a feather wing (cut from a Christmas ornament that I bought after Christmas, some alphas, and drawn legs. Then I covered some heavy chipboard with a piece of Gecko Galz Scents to Remember paper and adhered the smaller piece onto it. BTW, I won the Gecko Galz Mother's Day contest with my Mother's Day album - they are going to send me a goodie box filled with Ranger goodies - I am so excited!!!!!!

I created a fabric and lace brooch yesterday afternoon - I tore strips of cotton fabric and sewed them in a circle motion onto a piece of felt - then I hand-dyed the whole thing in some coffee. then I added the lace and the vintage cuff link. Do you think brooches or other jewelry pieces like this would sell on etsy? I have seen a few things similar but wasn't sure if they would sell.

And now for a few sneak peeks of some other things happening in my studio - above you saw the Angels, now a peek at the insects (beeswax to be precise)

and a new knitting project to begin (Jane Thornley's blade scarf) - if you like to knit, you should check out her website or her forums on Ravelry (don't tell me you aren't a member of Ravelry?!)

the top yarn is Blue Heron rayon metallic in the color of Leaf and the 2 other skeins are Knit One Crochet Too Tartelette - just love these yarns!!!!!

Hope you can join us at the ScrapGal crop tonight or at least drop by and say hi on the Chat. I have a challenge for both tonight and tomorrow night.

I will be back tomorrow as it's a big day! The new challenge for These are a few of my favorite things will be up, the new challenge for Candy Shoppe Designs will be up, and the new challenge for The Sampler Kit at Scrapbookingsuppliesrus will be up - I am exhausted just thinking about how many layouts I have created lately - but it's all good!

And, to save the best for last, I got a phone call from Julie T-W, my boss at TAAFOMFT, this morning. What a lovely and fantastic surprise - it is so cool to put a voice with her photos and fun ramblings! I've had a super day!!!!!!!

Thanks for reading
ttfn
Chris

Music and magic

Quote: “Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!” J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 
 The top 10 this month at ScrapGal is to scrap your favorite music - I took a photo of some of my favorite cd's to which I listen when I am painting. The photo is secured in the center with a brad so it can be turned.  I painted the background with watercolor and the white feathers are gesso. I glimmer misted a stencil from Ed Roth's Stencil 101 (which dear Julie sent to me a while ago - thank you, thank you - I love these stencils!) and added a Hambly transparency,  2 Glimmer glass shapes, Pink Paislee alphas, and positively ancient Heidi Swapp tapes.  I have a post today over on http://thegalblog.blogspot.com/ so check it out. NOTE: we are having a crop this weekend at ScrapGal - 7pm - 1 am Fri and again on Sat - lots of great inspiration, challenges, and, oh yeah, PRIZES!!!!!!!!!! Be sure to join us!

I have been painting quite a bit lately - but not much that I want to show. I will have 2 paintings in a show starting next Monday so I am looking forward to that.

Today after working at the used book store, I ran some errands and stopped by the library to pick up Layered-Tattered & Stitched- a Fabric-Workshop
by Ruth Rae - it looks fantastic and I can hardly wait to dig into it - so you may see some fabric and jewelry pieces in the near future. I so love her blog http://ruthrae.blogspot.com/ and was super happy to discover that our library had her book.  


Thanks for reading and hope you have a creative day!
ttfn
Chris

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!
I used color palette #5 at The Color Room and a sketch from Sketchy Thursdays for this layout - background paper is Stampington and the smaller pieces are Anna Griffin, Making Memories, and Dear Lizzy. I used some Pink Paislee clear stickers, some Gecko Galz vintage buttons,and  a Webster's pages silhouette. I made the flower from a vintage doily and some gold-edged lace. The ribbons are chiffon and the little sprig of flowers is vintage.

Be sure to check out http://whatisyourfavething.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-bout-little-game.html and have a little fun with us. We would love to see your favorite musical style and to join us on a little etsy adventure.

Have a wonderful day!
Chris

Memories and questions - and a link to some fabulous Mother's Day crafts

I did this layout for the latest Color room challenge (and it's late) and for ScrapGal - one of our manus of the month is Jenni Bowlin. I made the flower from a piece of silk chiffon from a vintage scarf that is somewhat shattered (have you ever heard of shattered silk - it is when an old piece of silk literally shreds -the threads just break). The center of the flower is a vintage cufflink and the locket up in corner is also vintage. I used a transparency (really loving them lately) and some other bits and pieces from my leftovers bin.
the journaling reads - Old photographs keep their SECRETS. No one alive today knows who these children were. (Actually I do know who they were as the names are written on the backs and I knew 2 of the people when I was a child (grandmother and grandfather) but once I am gone, no one will know who they were except as names.)

As I said, the layout is late for the deadline - I just can't create like an automaton - weekly challenge sites are just too much for me - I read the challenge and see the great DT work but life intervenes and if I can get one or two done maybe, that's it - and I also think rushing through layouts is sort of pointless - what's the hurry? How many layouts are enough? How many layouts did you create last year or have created so far this year? William Morris wrote "if you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it. Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe that is beautiful."  He wrote that as a reaction to the crass commercialism and consumerism of the Victorian age in England - I think it is very appropriate for our world today - there is just so much stuff in the stores, in our houses, and in our lives - and for what, we certainly aren't any happier with all of it. I recently went through my older layouts and divided them into piles - those that I loved, either very meaningful to me or very beautiful, those I thought would mean something for Brian, and those in which I saw little redeeming value - those were taken apart, photos and some components saved, and the remainder trashed. I probably reduced my layouts by half.

Anyway, I don't have the answer - I guess the most important things are to record memories and to create things that you love.

One of my design team jobs ends this month and I have some thoughts about DT jobs.  Being on a kit design team has been very good for me as it forces me to be more resourceful and step outside my little box in order to showcase products that I probably would not have selected on my own - and the really really cool thing is that I have discovered some fabulous products and some super color combos that I will continue to use even after my DT term is over.  So, all in all, I would recommend applying for DT jobs for anyone who loves to scrap - not only will you receive some fantastic product, you will work with some incredibly talented and super nice designers, and your own designing skills will blossom.

Thanks for reading my thoughts and I would love to know what you think. I have to work this afternoon at the book store - we are so low on volunteers at both the book store and the gift shop (we are especially low at the gift shop and may have to cut the hours that we are open) that some of us are working extra shifts. All of the profits from the book store and gift shop are donated to our county library, and unfortunately we won't be able to donate as much this year as last (and last year was less than the year before). Florida has some major budget problems, and funds for libraries were cut this past year and will take a monster hit in the next fiscal year.  In the past, our donations paid for things like online services but this year we have to use the money for books as the library has no funds for new books. They will have to close earlier and one of the libraries is not open on the weekend at all because there are not enough funds to pay workers. So sad......

Hope you have a wonderful weekend - do you have any special plans for Mother's Day? My son is driving over tomorrow afternoon and is taking us to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Then he will drive home on Sunday. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful young man as my son - he is a very special person and very loved. And be sure to check out http://www.craftcritique.com/2010/05/mothers-day-blog-carnival.html for some fabulous Mother's Day craft ideas - my Mother's Day is on the list!!!!

ttfn
Chris

Wanna play 21?

Come over to http://candyshoppedesigns.blogspot.com/ and meet the new members of the Design Team - they are all so talented and I feel lucky to be able to work with them for the next four months. The challenge this time is "21" - whatever that means to you - 21 things you want to do, the age 21, the game 21, and in my case, I couldn't think what to do and then I realized that I could use my grocery list. I used some vintage Love Elsie paper, October afternoon and Pink Paislee alphas, a vintage Dick & Jane image, and some real ephemera (LOL) - a checkcard from King Soopers from when we lived in Denver and the envelope that a Publix giftcard came in from several years ago. Be sure to come on over and show us your stuff.

A short post today as I have lots to do, and it is so beautiful outside that I want to finish things and get out there - a walk on the beach would be so perfect!

Hope you have a wonderful week and thanks for reading,
ttfn
Chris

Happy NSD, among other things

Well, the secret is out - yesterday the May http://www.pagemaps.com/ newsletter came out and the news is that the ScrapGal team created the layouts for the May pagemaps. the above is my layout - done all in Prima - I even painted the Prima flowers to match my photos and I painted the center piece. Be sure to check out all of the fabulous designs by the ScrapGals.

Our manus of the month for May are Jenni Bowlin and Maya Road. Create a layout or project of 50% JB or MR and enter to win. The above layout is Jenni Bowlin, the twine came from Deana's etsy shop, and I made the flower (remember the tutorial last weekend). I took the photo in the British section of Epcot.

The final layout is on the new Basic Grey Kioshi paper (I love the soft colors) - this paper reminded me of the fabric origami flowers that I used to make for wallhangings so I dug out one of my old quilting books and made these fabric hydrangea blossoms and then I painted the white Prima flower with watercolor paints to blend with the layout. We are also having a month-long photo scavenger hunt at ScrapGal so be sure to check that out, and our Top 10 layout for the month is to list your top 10 fav songs (interesting - seems like I just did a layout about music! LOL!)
Hope everyone has a wonderful National Scrapbooking Day - I know there are lots of things happening on many of the websites.
thanks for reading and
ttfn
Chris