Quick post before a long-ish break?

or maybe me being out of my house and visiting for like six days, I'll find a need to blog MORE? *shrug*   it's a coin toss, never can tell.

OKAY. SO I did some scrappy stuff that I'll share.  Who knows if anything profound will come from this post.  It may just be something to look at - and that'll be it.  Never can tell from start to finish of a post.  Oh, and yes, I am aware that I can edit the post blahblahblah.  I'm not feeling it, so I'm just going on the fly.  It can be cohesive if I so choose, but chances are, it's going to look like a whole bunch of ADD on a blog post.  Why? because that's pretty much the way I roll.  No apologies for being me...nope. Not today.

FIRST UP:     "Thankful" which is for TWO challenges @SNC   One being for Sherrie's Potpourri challenge for "thankful"...and the second being for Diana's color challenge with an awesome array of (what I'll describe as) cranberry/orange/sage.   so it all worked out well I think - and HOLY WOW DOES TIME FLY!!! These kids are not this small, nor this compliant near each other anymore(and the baby is in kindergarten, so bah).

NEXT UP:   Another challenge for Resa's Ad Challenge @SNC which had two different vintage advertisements circa 1952-ish.   (hence my tag!)    ANd thanks to Lynn and her obsession with sending me blogs to follow - I have now become hooked on THIS BRILLIANT ART SPOT for a LOT of inspiration -- I have had SO MANY "AHA" moments when perusing her blog...I have so many supplies on-hand that I have had forever and she has actually encouraged me (and she doesn't know it yet) to USE THIS STUFF FOR PITY'S SAKE.   Sooooo...here is my Girlz night-in

This is the stuff I've got -- actually I have two more pending photos...I'll get around to it eventually.
and there we have it, nothing profound here *snort*

Wake me when November begins...what?

Oh, RIIIIIIGHT - that was yesterday.  My bad.   So apparently I'm now running 24hrs behind myself - yay. Don't be jealous. You can all achieve this level of greatness if you apply yourself!

Challenge day @SNC brings you a marvelous ATC Challenge brought to you by moi - a spectacular Journaling challenge brought to you by *gasp* me --- and a whole gaggle of scrappy cohorts challenges (I believe that there are NINE posted on the 1st and the same (or one more?) on the 15th.   Loads of scrappy minion goodness is here...check it out.

Without further in-depth procrastination efforts:

ATC Challenge:   CHANNEL YOUR FALL:    Use a quote for fall, loads of fall colors, a technique that reminds you of fall...whatever -- but get your fall goodness packed on that 2.5 x 3.5 piece of freedom.

 a number of fascinating techniques used for this little piece.   I used old book page, whitewashed with water/acrylic paint - went insane with chalk/TH inks, StazOn and stamps, then the tree is made with book page inked/inked and re-inked and torn after being crinkled.    The quote, Emily Bronte  "Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the Autumn tree".   Ahhhh...the crispness of fall and it's glorious crunchy leaves!!

JOURNAL CHALLENGE:   "THANKFUL FOR..."    But I don't want just ANY thankful - we know people are thankful for their jobs, their spouses, kids, families, homes, etc...I wanted to take the thankful to a different path.   I should have (could have would have) gotten a bit more in-depth with emotional journaling, but I kept it simpler. 

Without the "frivolous" types of things used to get into direct and near instantaneous contact with family far away (including PreciousBabyBoy Chicken) -- I would be a mess full of sobbing psyche and tissues..in a puddle.   SO - it seemed appropriate to be thankful for the wonderful technologic marvels that make it possible for us to "be there" when we're not able to "be there".   Know what I mean??  you do.

Techniques o-plenty for this one and it was fun - up to a point.    I was IN LOVE WITH the techniques and how this was shaping up at first.  THEN I put the paper in my printer (after doing THREE different drafts on other paper to ensure that it was not going to jack up my page).   and well, it jacked up my page *insert really bad non-kid-friendly words here*.     The base page, white cardstock which I had printed a free printable card template (two cards, one sheet, just print, cut and use)....well, I printed once, then used 2 blank cards and taped them to the page, then did two more, and the greed over-ran my good graces of the printer because it had printed misc. stuff on my original CS sheet.    I sat it aside thinking "well, self, you;ll have to use that for something, you waster".     I started with white acrylic paint and my lovely TheCraftersWorkshop 6x6 template "gears" --- I have two of these templates (finally) and LOVE LOVE LOVE them.      So after I waited patiently for the paint to dry, I used mists, then babywiped the excess from the white paint...*sigh*   resisting goodness!    it was at this point that the printer snafu occurred.   I was SOOOO unbelievably disgusted.  First I tried to paint over the words with white acrylic, which worked/didn't work at the same time. then the epiphany for alcohol ink usage came into play (hence the darker purple).  THen I hated it.   I was loving this for so long, then ran into the brick wall of hatred.  I cut things, tore things, pieced things together, and I became "just okay" with it - but truly it felt like a let-down after being in layout love at first.

BUT the good thing about playing around with things?? you get to DO IT AGAIN.   and hopefully DO IT DIFFERENTLY (haha printer, you diabolical menace).

The Witch, her daughter and mini hats/brooms...

Or Transportation+Helmet (thanks dear loving man of mine. No seriously, that was funny and I giggled for a while)

These are from ChickenLittle's need for a dessert for her party @school...I'd have loved this when I was a kid, so BAM...

Fly safely young witches ;)

Time to celebrate the falllllllling of Fall...

with yummy leafy goodness!! 

I have spritzed mist over top of ferns, maple leaves, pine needle spray...I HAMMERED LEAVES on paper (leaving a YUMMY purple stain on the paper)...have I lost it completely at this point??
No, silly.    SNC, the scraptastic minions, have some challenges tossed out there.  

This is my layout that actually hit three of them --- Janelle's scrap-your-stash (to use white scraps) which is what all of my papers (kraft not included in "all") began as.    Also, Sharon's book-of-me (fave season).  AND last, but certainly not least since she is the only one that reads this drivel that I post :D  Lynn's Harvest theme.  Without further blahblahblah...

Fall details @random

until next time ;)

A photo a day for October...with a bonus tale

Okay - so it's been a REALLLLLY long time since I've been able to participate in "A Photo A Day" type of challenges for myself.  I am totally digging the camera.  Of course, I would LOVE to sharpen the colors and such - however - I have a computer with a viral thing going on, so I am NOT going to push it by trying to reinstall PSE#?.  Ain't happening.

Enough technical whining...SO my "plan" for October is to capture images with the overall loose-definition of "nature".   Since I feel rather ATTACKED BY NATURE (aka stink-bugs-that-suck).  Without a further waiting period - here are my first four images.

1.  LEAVES:  working around depth-of-field play.

 

 2.  THIS FLOWER:   I took photos of a flower exactly like this in my Kentucky house waaay back in the day where I got to stay for a weekend.  That is such a story for another time, or not another time...whatever I feel the need for I imagine ;)   ANYWAY - @my "new" place, THIS very awesome flower is here - via nature - just for me and my camera (I can say it if I want to, my blog, my rules).

 3.  FIELD OF YELLOW:   We walk past this field daily to go to the bus stop (yet another story involving our walking to/from the bus @ 3/10ths of a mile each direction, which equals out to me actually getting a bit of a mile of walking in per day whether I want to or not really).  I am so chicken though, I REALLY want to take pics of the kids in this field, but I don't actually want to have to WALK IN THERE BECAUSE NATURE IS HIDING!!!

 #4 CREEEEEPY:  and artsy ALL AT THE SAME TIME.   This thing intrigued me and freaked me the hell out all at the same time.   VERY AWESOME dots of water on the web though.  it's really hard to take pics and watch the manual settings when you're trying to also pay attention to WHERE the spider is while you're fiddling with settings/such.  UGH.

AND your bonus story is actually the following conversation between Steve and I maybe 2-3 fridays ago.  I thought it relevant to the #4 picture:

Me:  THE BIGGEST SPIDER IN THE FUCKING WORLD IS IN THE HOUSE. AND NOW i CAN'T FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND IT. I.AM.LEAVING.

S:   *SNORT*

Me:  THAT IS NOT NOT NOT NOT FUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNY

S:  Lol lol lol what room?
     Did you scream?

Me:   OUR PLAY ROOM???? MOTHERFUCKER.  I didnt scream... Yelled a tribal scream and turned on the vacuum....which I THINK IT WAS TOO BIG TO FIT INTO...but it was gone...OH.MY.GOD.

S:   Was it black with lightening bolts on its back?

Me:  IT HAIR FUCKING HAIR.
HAIR STEVE.

IT CAN EAT SMALL ANIMALS AND PERHAPS CHILDREN

S:   Lol snort lol choke
Mice?

Me:   (((sent a picture of the worthless cat holding up his paw and staring at me)))
TOLD DRAGON....HE HAS A PAW IN THE AIR. I TOLD HIM TO FIND A WEAPON

S:  He looks scared.
Sissy cat.

Me:  I TOLD HIM THAT HE SHOULD BE!!!  Arm yourself!!!!   Faaaaawk

S:  Get a picture
Lol lol lol

Me:   Of WHAT??????????

S:   The spider of course

Me:  Fuck that shit Mr V.  If I could fucking FIND IT I WOULD KILL IT M.YSELF. i am freaking out because it's as big as a furrry baby hippo AND I CANT FIND IT

S:  Snort.  Go get the spider spray from the mud room and hit the last spot/area you spotted it Lol lol lol ...tears Mrs V

Me:  WHAAAAAAAATEVER.  I will bet it climbed into the heater thing because IT LITERALLY HAD TO DUCK TO RUN UNDER IT AGAINST THE WALL...

S:   Sure it wasn't a mouse?
Spray the heater all the way across.

Me:   IT HAD EIGHT DISBUSTING LEGS STEVER. MICE DON'T HAVE EITHER LEGS

S:  Snort...did you spray braveheart

Me:   YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

S:   Lol i snorted and hurt myself

Me:  (((note to self, kill him with spider spray if he makes another 'city girl' comment)))

The spider was big. Huge.
at least the size of a baby rhino or hippo, or whatever...but IT WAS HUGE. and HAIRY.   I think it was a wolf spider, which the internet says is "poisonous"??? REALLLY??? *grumble* make fun of me again...ugh.

Happenings and goings on...

Happenings:  I happened to have two layouts to share today.
Goings On:  My computer issues are still trying to kill me, but they haven't won yet muhahaha.

over @ScrapNChat two more challenge were tackled!

First we have Barb's Patterned Paper Crazy challenge to use- 3 florals; 1 diamond; 1 butterfly; 1 solid

and nex, Diana's color challenge - a gorgeous Spring-like selection including lavendar, purple, magenta, sage and light gray:

 and with these two rounding up my September completions (thaaaanks computer issues who suck)...I have a couple of more that I am going to try and sneak in from September....*gasp all of the NEW challenges for October 1st are up and I need to get running with that!

 



SNC October 2012 CHALLENGE DAY!!

HELLO MINIONS!   or Scrappy Minions as the case may be!

October=one of my fave months.  LOVE the crispness of Fall, particularly in central PA, because it's not almost 90degrees like VA Beach ;)    Here's the usual drill, two challenges posted by me @ScrapNChat  for the first of the month.   JOURNALING & ATC...let's move along...

 

JOURNALING CHALLENGE: 

 

 2005:  Journaling ...

    I will admit, that sometimes I am simply shocked by the photos that I find "tucked away" for safekeeping in my stash of things to scrapbook/keep.  These were in my last goldmine find.  A week has passed at this point, since his 15th birthday.  To find an envelope full of his little league photos (which apparently didn't get passed out to family either) at the ripe old age of seven (photo was Spring 2005).  I felt like I was in a time machine. I can absolutely remember his face just like this - seven years ago can feel like "a lot" or "a little" depending on perspective.

 

Dealing with separation as we are at this point - I relaly need to hold on to little moments like this that hug my heart strings, and appreciate the good feelings.  I an celebrate my little man becoming such a young man (soooo close to being 'old', he says).

 

I'm glad that my organizational skills with my photos allows for me to have moements like this --I can go on a mental vacation and hang out with my seven year old little legaue dude for a while.  And I'm also glad for Facebook, where a mom can post pictures of her PreciousBabyBoy and everyone can share the "aww" moment with me ;)

(photos circa 2005/journaling 2012)

 

((((OKAY I'll admit, I made myself cry with this one too. Get off my back already))))

 

ATC CHALLENGE!!!:    GET YOUR SPOOKY LAYERS ON!!

Your challenge this month, should you choose to accept it - is to break out the spooky for your ATC.  Hopefully in layers, because layers of spooky is much better than straight out scared ;)

 

 With my sample, I started with a tan CS card (2.5 x 3.5 is standard ArtistTradingCard size). I then used gel medium (though thin ModPodge would have done the same, but I found my gel medium and was in love all over again LOL)...and started layering bits and pieces of newsprint all willy-nilly, no rhyme/reason other than BECAUSE I WANTED TO. I used a layer of medium over top, then watered down some acrylic paint for a wash over top...darker in some spots than others. I had found this awesome owl and tree picture (in the paper!) as an ad, and decided to do 1/2 fussy cutting and lahyer it over top. Not enough layers? nah - looked too "clean" to me so I tossed some faint stamps over top of that, layered with the gel medium over top again, and BAM.  



My inner make-a-mess-goddess was happy and gel medium/paint covered.

 

OH, and as a bonus...

the long-legged freak show that was

RIGHT BELOW MY CARD THE WHOLE TIME.

you ca see him in the 1st pic, but I wanted to END the post with him, not start. 

That's another can of worms...er, spiders. eww. ugh. nature.

 

Thanks in advance for playing along (lynn *snort*)