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Thursday, September 23, 2010

So Long Summer!

When the sunlight starts hitting that angle through my windows that lets me know that it's fall, I get in an entirely different mood. The world just seems more romantic and mysterious. It's automatically time to start making Halloween projects and lighting spicy candles. I have a carton of Oregon chai ready to go in my fridge and rice crispy treats are on the counter. Best of all, the trail that I hike a couple times a week is laden with golden oak leaves and has that grassy berry smell of California.






The best part about hiking in this peaceful place is the weight loss! And it doesn't even feel like work!  But as I soak up the last bits of summer sunshine I can't help but look forward to the rainy, cozy days laden with baking and crafting. 
It is only one week until my Aunt and Uncle's wedding and I have been churning out the last of the wedding album pages.

The first page I created uses a super cute Jolee's hammock embellishment. The papers are by Making Memories, the Hawaii sticker is by Me and My Big Ideas, and the flowers are Prima. I was glad to finally be able to use all this cute stuff that has been sitting around looking good for quite some time.


The next page uses a K & Company paper from the Que Sera Sera stack. The Tree was cut using the Cricut and the Heritage cartridge. I painted over the tree with metallic green acrylic paint and then went over that with shabby shutters distress stickles. The sparrow was cut from the French Manor cartridge and embellished with stickles. The matt was from the DCWV Rockstar matt stack and was distressed and inked around the edges. The frame, blue bird and "romance" die cuts were all from various K & Co die cut packs. And I attached a random silk leaf under the corner of the photo matt.


The last page features Prima Mountain Lilly Vines at the top in Robin's Egg. The paper is Prima titled "Romance" from the Analee collection. The large matt is from K & Company Margo stack and was cut on the Cricut using the French Manor cartridge frame and shadow feature. The Quote reads "All that is good and sweet and true has come to me because of you." The photo matt is from the K & Company Ancestry Matt pad. The crystals are from ZVA creative and the ribbons and lace are scraps from the fabric stores.


Lastly I did a page for my personal album because my Disney pictures have been stacking up. The paper is Prima "Ashton" from the Analee collection. I cut the frame using K & Company Margo stack paper and the French Manor Cricut cartridge Frame feature. The flowers are the second piece of the Prima Mountain Vine Robin's Egg pack. The Crystals are Prima. The Circular matt is from Webster's Pages and the cherry branch was cut using Cricut Lite Botanicals cartridge and the remaining scraps of Margo paper against pink card stock.

I also received my new Tim Holtz embossing folders. Here are swatches that I inked to better reveal the detail:

Clockwise from the upper left quadrant the folders are "Bricked", "Woodgrain", "Damask" and "Regal Flourishes". As promised, the embossing is very deep and when done with thick cardstock and run through the cuttlebug several time can distress the paper and create small tears. I actually like this effect.

So enjoy the cool down and I'll be getting back to you with the final wedding album projects and details on the ceremony and beautiful Bride!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Me Like Make Pretty

Lately I've been really interested in exploring beauty and makeup in particular. As a crafter, I like making things pretty, and if I can help myself then all the better. Back in high school I would rock out bright green glittered eyes to school, crimp my hair, and round in out with a sparkly pair of jeweled earrings that would hit my shoulders. Extravagant yes, but I kind of miss it. So I have been picking out fun bits and pieces here and there and this week I bought something that I've never had the gall to try. BRIGHT RED LIPSTICK!!!
I got my hands on the limited addition Moulin Rouge lipstick from Make Up Forever:

It is so beautiful, pigmented and rich. I am pairing it with a simple black lined eye and a sparkly black beret!

In contrast to bright red lips, I also played around with dramatic blue eye makeup. My pick is the new Tarina Tarantino Starchild Odyssey palette available at Sephora.com.

The colors are so unique and bright! My favorite has to be the darker purple on the right. When applied to the skin it appears almost holographic. Also the dark blue is very rich and is solid shimmer which makes it very easy to apply and it also doubles as an eyeliner. Here is the look I came up with:


I used the purples all over the lid and above the crease, the dark blue on the outer corner and as an eyeliner and the bright silver in the inner corner and along my bottom lashes. I had people checking it out all day because it was so bright and the colors are so interesting.
I always encourage people to explore with makeup because it is an inherent part  of being feminine to appreciate feeling pretty. In fact I believe that it is a trait programed straight into us for the betterment of the universe and mankind in general. Thanks God. And I hope that women can become supportive of each other in our pursuits of beauty, whether through makeup, gardening, interior design, painting, crafting, etc. and start appreciating and complimenting each other rather than writing it off as vanity or silliness. Because the world can be very ugly and a little light-heartedness never hurts!

I've been taking it easy in the crafting department this month. I've had three major family birthdays, my darling friend came to visit from Seattle, and we took a family trip to Disneyland. So I haven't had the mindset to nurture my crafting creativity. But I did get an awesome birthday card for my Grandpa who loves Mexico. What a treat to have found these awesome Dio de los Muertos skulls on the new Rock Princess Cartridge:


I cut each skull at 3 1/2" and mounted them on pop dots against plain black card stock.

I have been building up my crafting stock though. In terms of cartridges I acquired the following:

  • Rock Princess

  • Country Life

  • October 31st

  • Toy Story

  • Happy Hauntings

  • Winter Frolic

  • Straight From the Nest
Some of the newer products that have been on my radar for fall are the new Prima release including crystals, flowers, stamps and papers. I purchased the Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland paper pad along with the Steampunk Debutant pad. I also landed some Tim Holtz Texture fades to use with the cuttlebug mentioned in my previous post. Now Fall is by far my favorite season and I really get amped up for drinking tea, lighting candles, and cranking out a good project. I'm thinking that making sure I'm well stocked now will help when I really get going next month.















So to round off the month of August we took our fourth and final trip to Disneyland since we purchased annual passes last September. We got some pretty sweet hotel deals and were able to stay at the Grand Californian Hotel that is centrally located in the park. In addition, my friend, her husband, and their two little boys came with us along with my wonderful Grandpa. We had so much fun! I was also able to capture some footage of the new World of color show:

It was very awe inspiring. The affects they were able to create with water, color, and light were unlike anything I've ever seen. And I also got to ride one of my favorite roller coasters ever, Screamin!


So lots of fun stuff to play around with and share coming soon! And if you're feeling fine then go slap on some red lips and blue eyes!