Say Goodbye to the old. . .

and HELLO to the NEW!!!! That's right - here is my last project with the old G45 papers. I just finished it tonight. But yesterday I got my hands on the NEW G45 papers and I am itching to get working with them. But for now I will just be happy with what I created this weekend.

This new creation is a journal of sorts - no places for photos in this one (I know, can you believe it???). This journal is kind of a "bucket list", "what I would like to accomplish", "Resolutions" sort of thing. It is a place to write your thoughts, your goals and your accomplishments. I think it is a good thing to re-evaluate your life every so often.

I am calling it "There's No Time Like Today. . ."

When you open it up, the first page you see finishes the quote -
"to be the woman you were meant to be".
It is a portfolio style book, so there aren't pages per se. Instead there are flaps and and pull outs. The center area of the portfolio has 2 nice sized tag books with 12 pages each for journaling. They both have a quote on the cover. The green one says
"Be the change you want to see in the world"

and the rust one says

"She decided to become what she always imagined"

Each of the 2 side flaps have a folded tag for lists or more journaling.

There is lots of lace and ribbons and bows on this project. Even the colors are dark, I wanted it to have that femine feel too it. I love the ladies in their loungerie on the front cover.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my newest project. It will be on the class schedule on May 1st. We will be making the whole thing from scratch - this is not a premade portfolio. I hope you will join me for this class.

Be watching for another new creation from the NEW and exciting G45 line called Le Romantic if you want to see these new papers just click on the name and it will take you straight to them.

I hope you all had a GREAT weekend and are ready for another FANTASTIC week!!! See you all soon.

Greetings From Sunny Arizona!!!!

Well, it really hasn't been that sunny lately. Last week we got more rain than we had all year last year! This week it cleared up a bit, but we got a little more rain today. And with it was one of the most beautiful and vivid rainbows I've ever seen! It was just about sunset when it appeared and I ran inside to get my camera and car keys (wanted to drive out of the neighborhood so I didn't have houses in the pix) and the phone started ringing - dang, I needed to hurry before the moment was over and the light was worse than it already was! It was Gary telling me to get my camera and go outside. Boy do we think alike!!! He met me at the end of the block and took me in his truck to areas I would not have been able to get to in my Honda. I just had to share a few of the pictures I took tonight. Mind you they are NOT good pictures but I am sure you will get the idea of how HUGE this rainbow was.

You could see both ends of the rainbow. I even think I saw a pot of gold at one end!
I wish I new how to take better pictures in these lighting conditions! There was so much cloud cover and then the sun was setting which was throwing TONS of bright yellow and red light almost horizontally. But it really was just amazing to out be there!

My Honda does NOT go places like this!!!!

Can you tell how bright this beauty was???? God really knew what He was doing when He invented the rainbow! They always make me happy when I see them and they always make me feel just a little bit "small".

I am so glad Gary went with me!

This is the sunset that was happening at the same time! I took this picture and the one right above this from the exact same point one minute apart. The one above was taken facing East. This one was taken facing west.

Too much beauty in our sky tonight! I hope if you live here you got to go outside and enjoy both the rainbow and the sunset!

Butter Me Up. . .I'm on a Roll!!!

That's right - I just can't seem to stay out of my studio this past week. Here is one more sample of a class I will soon be teaching. You can click on the picture and it will take you to more detailed photos.

I hope you all had a great weekend. I gotta get back to work - one more project sitting on my desk!!!!!

One More Class Sample. . .

Well, I took a littole over a month off from teaching for the holidays, now it's time to get back into the swing of things. So here is one more class that I will be teaching in Feb (on the 26th)

We will be altering an artist canvas with an old dictionary and some beautiful black papers with gold script (hard to see in photo). We will also be stamping a great quote on acylic. I think these are so pretty - I can't wait to make more for my own house!

Have a SUPER GREAT DAY Friends!!!!

The 4th Time is a Charm!

I know, I know, the saying is "the 3rd time is a charm". But in my case it was the 4th. I have been working on this class sample called "Ladies Home Journal" since before Christmas. It was turning out so cute and I was really happy with it that I put it on the schedule for Feb 6th. I even had 2 people signed up for the class without a sample to see! Then it fell apart. . . litterally! I was not detered, I figured out the problem and made it again. Still not right, again it fell apart! So I really studied it and figured out what the problem was and made it again. OMG!!!!! This time it did not fall apart but the pages wouldn't turn right. In my frustration I tore it all apart and threw it in the trash!!! Then Friday my friend Judie came over and as we talked we ended up on "Ladies Home Journal". I pulled it from the trash to show her. She really liked what she could see of it and encouraged me to try again. And that's exactly what I did today. I got a sure-fire idea of how to make it work, and as I snuck into my studio to work on it Monkey followed me. She wanted to "glue" too. so we sat her table up in my studio and we both "glued"

I was even able to talk Mom into using my camera to take a picture of the two of us (I look a mess so don't look to closely)
At 1am (after several distractions, dinner and dishes) I finally finished the "Ladies Home Journal" and it

didn't fall apart and the pages all turn!!!!

It's a bit different than the books I normally make, see if you can tell the 2 major differences. . .(You can click on the pictures to make them bigger)

Each page has a pull out tag. . .

That is what is laying on the counter with the book in each picture

I love this quote - it covers about 4 feet of space on a wall in my house!

The garden lady on this page lifts up for more space for photos or journaling

There are a couple of recipe cards for this page

Our ladies here open up to reveal just another space for goodies

This is the back cover

So, did you figure out what is different about this album????

1. It's a paper bag album! I never do those - ever. But here ya have it, black paper bags made into an book!

2. The cover is not bookboard. It is made out of corregated cardboard. I distressed it to allow some of the corregated to show. And I just collaged the covers and then varnished them. Yes, I said varnish!

So that is what I have been up to today. You can look for this to show up on the class schedule on March 6th (I think). I hope you all had a great day and feel like you were productive and creative! See ya soon.

Happy New Year!!!!

I hope your new year is starting out GREAT! Mine sure is! NY Eve we had a slumber party with Monkey while her folks went out. NY Day I spent with a good friend just visiting and playing with paper. On the 2nd I got to out and shoot some engagement pictures for Kathie's daughter. We went to Lake Pleasant. It was a fun day out, Gary even joined us at the lake for our shoot. That evening I played with some more paper. Today I spent with Gary, Monkey, Bryanna & Darwin at the park. Monkey got a Tinkerbell quad and Darwin got a boche ball (sp) set, so there was fun for all of us. Tonight they stayed for dinner and Lizzy & Addison were here too. We are having another slumber party with Monkey tonight as well. So as you can see the 1st three days of my New Year have been FULL of my FAVORITE things. . . .
Family
Friends
Creating
Photography
Food
and FUN!!!

Here is some of the paper I have been playing with. . . it is my 1st class of the New Year - a Valentine's Day banner that turns into a book after the holiday! Upi can check out the details and photos of that happens by clicking on the picture.

I realize I told you all that my first class was going to be called "Ladies Home Journal" sadly that class sample ended up in the trash! Although it was really cute, it had some issues. Maybe later I can revive the idea????? I also have the sample ready for my 2nd class (both samples will be in the store on Monday) as soon as I get the pictures ready I will put it up here for you to see. It is an altered canvas shadow box. Super fun to make - I am ready to make a bunch of them to hang in my own house!

Well, it's getting late so I must run. Just wanted to catch up with everyone and wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!