Well I Made. It

For many years now, I have been secretly wishing I could be part of a scrapbooking/art design team. I was too scared to try out for a spot until this summer.  Before this summer I was either working full time, taking care of my children/grandchildren or recovering from an accident at work that left me with permanent nerve damage in my dominant hand.  But this summer, I was able to find some time to start creating something several times a week. I have been participating in ATC Swaps and challenges on the Gecko Galz Scrapbooking Site.  So, when Gecko Galz announced its design team call for 2018, I decided to try out.  AND GUESS WHAT????  I MADE IT!!!  Whoopeeeeeee  I am soooo excited that I finally took a leap of faith and was rewarded.  So, you will be seeing my post for my projects that I will be making for Gecko Galz.  I hope you will hop over to their site and check out all the fantastic ephemera and the super cute digital papers that are for sale.  Oh, and Wednesday is One Buck Wednesday, so be sure to check it the site on Wednesdays...

Happy Creating Friends,

Donna

So What's Up!!!!

So, what's up with Me?  After my mother passed away and my grandson started daycare three days a week, I found that I had more time on my hands and needed something to fill it.  I have always loved doing anything creative.  I have since I was a very young girl.  I can remember getting one of those weaving looms and making dozens of pot holders that my Mom used until they fell apart.  One Christmas I got a candle making set.  I made candles for everyone in the neighborhood.  The summer I entered Junior High my parents put me in Singer sewing school where I learned to sew well enough to make my children's Mardi Gras costumes in later years.  Then as a young adult, I fell in love with roses and gardening.  I became an avid gardener growing and tending to over 50 rose bushes and over 75 hibiscus.  I even entered my blooms in contests and won.  It was during the summer of 2005, after my husband had a minor surgery and was home recovering, that I discovered scrapbooking.  I couldn't go outside and play in my greenhouse, I needed to be close enough to hear if hubby needed something, so I was watching a tv show about scrapbooking and thought, I could do that.  We had a local scrapbook store at the time and I was very intimidated anytime I walked in there.  I had done two scrapbooks for the boys the year they were King of the Mardi Gras Krewe we were in,  It was a very traditional scrapbook, actually it was a sketch book that I just glued the pictures and stickers and used Mardi Gras Stationary from the scrapbook store to decorate the pages.  But in 2005, I decided that I would jump in feet first and create a scrapbook for my husband.  His mother had just passed away and I had taken all the photos from the house for my husband and his children.  So, I started creating my first book in 2005 and have not looked back since.

These days I enjoy doing a multitude of mixed media projects, incorporating mixed media into my traditional scrapbooking pages.  I have discovered that the more texture a page has the more satisfied I am with it.  Now there are times when I do not add too much to the pages, just to be able to get them finished and in the book, before my grandson graduates.  He's currently 3 1/2 years old going on 30.

So since July, I have been trying to get some crafting done every day.  I don't always make it but I try.  I have been doing ATC Cards for Blissful ATC Swaps and also entering Gecko Galz Scrapbooking's monthly challenges.  I did win the challenge for July.  It was a cute little card with a circus theme.

Well gotta go pick up Batman(the grandson) from daycare.

Happy Crafting, Y'all

Donna

An Interesting two weeks

Two weeks ago, I left to go on an art/scrapping retreat.  Most of the ladies that attended cropped, but I decided that I was going to make an art journal using an old book.  Before getting to the retreat, I had prepped the front of the book, so that all I had to do was decorate the front.  Here are a few photos of the process of altering this book.

 First thing I did was to cover the entire outside surface with heavy body gesso.  Then I added some crackle paste in a few strategic places and also used a stencil to add some additional texture.  Then I started added elements.  I used 3d Gloss Gel to adhere the elements to the canvas.  I let that dry over night and then painted everything with another coat of Gesso.  I let that dry then painted the entire outside surface with black gesso.

After painting the entire surface with heavy body black gesso, I used some Finnabair brand opal magic paints to paint the entire outside of the book.  I used the violet-gold and green-gold with a dry brush technique to add color and highlights to the surface.

Now that its finished I will be using it as an art journal.  I'm really excited about the outcome.  Oh, lastly I did add some Inka Gold on top of everything to make some of the textures really pop.

Anyway, when I returned from my crop, I was told that my little grandson had been sick with a stomach virus.  He came and spend the night with us Monday night so his dad could go to work and I took care of him.  Well, unbeknownst to me, he was still contagious and by Tuesday night I was sick.  I was soooooo sick, I had not been that sick in years.  I was up all night running to the bathroom and by Wednesday all I did was sleep.  Thursday was not much better, but by this day, my son was sick also.  So there are two sick adults taking care of one feeling much better, way to active, 3 year old.  I did not feel like myself again until the Saturday.  Ugh, I haven't been that sick in forever.  I was soooooo sore.  Well that's all I have for now....  

Happy Crafting!!

Donna