a birthday wish.....

Pulled together this simple canvas for a friend celebrating her twenty something Bday. We are meeting at PF Changs for a celebration so I wanted to give it a fortune cookie theme. The fortune reads "you will always be surrounded by true friends". It is shameful how easy this was to do. First I have a collection of small canvases bought long ago during the major Dick Blick sale. When I see a technique I like on other blogs I like to play around creating canvas backgrounds to keep on hand for future. I had done this one a while back and it became a perfect base for this project. Like usual, I pulled out my Studio Calico stash and began cutting and gluing....... so simple yet so different from the other birthday cards she will receive. I will hate to see it go, it kind of looks good next to an old photo of a Monk at a Buddhist Temple in Bangkok, Thailand (circa 2003).


I hope everyone is having a great weekend and keeping with the Chinese theme.....

Nee How Ma !
(good day in Mandarin)

spring rains and a little art

Todays rain is making the garden look lush and green...... The lilac is just about ready to open in full bloom. I am a patient gardener; waiting 5 years for this colorful explosion.

Connor even enjoyed his time outside. He takes his fetch job so seriously. He too is patient....

I did these layouts this past weekend. The first layouts I've done in months. I used a mixture of past Studio Calico kits ......

James and Megan at Disneyland and California Adventure - Spring Break 2009.

still waiting and therefor still creating......

I wanted to play with some papers from Studio Calico on this weeks canvas. I decided to cut and collage with papers from past kits Iconic, Newstand, and Looking Glass. I added my own paints and a quote to finally finish a long overdue gift.




This was a lot of fun and I loved the process, learning even more about different mediums I am playing with. If there is any collage people out there, I would love your comments on your favorite adhesive product for paper on canvas.........








Oh and I found a great embroidery booklet this week to get me moving on a better embroidery path. Most likely will start practising tonight during my Friday night Ghost Whisperer party with Connor.....




Happy Friday ladies.....

quick post ...

so why is it that every time you go to Costco for toilet paper & laundry soap (needed HE kind for new washer) you get back home with a car looking like this........




spent way more than my budget allows right now. I did get a few Christmas gifts..... and got some much needed basics. I also now have several packs of meat marinading in the freezer (a big time saver)

Any one checking back to see a follow up to yesterdays post..... Mark is now a new member of Studio Calico and we are getting together Friday to make Christmas cards and catch up!!! Welcome to SC Mark......

call out to Mark

hey there phone tag brother......


I am calling you out to sign up for the Studio Calico kit I showed you the last time we had lunch..... each month just keeps getting better so you really have to join the monthly membership!


Kind of like the time I talked you into buying the Silhouette when you haven't even started scrapping yet. The one you need to bring over so I can play with it.... JUST like that time. Just do it and do it this month! Just look at the paper that is in this months kit.... you know you have photos of you just made for that chalkboard paper!




and look at these school pics of James.... too funny! The journal says: "You know this is one of those school pictures James will cringe when his wife and family sees" love Mom.


So back to Mark, you know how you want to have everything coordinated for you? They do it for you and it will help you get inspired to start using the stuff you are collecting.....


so just click on the blinkie over to the right >>>>>>>>>>


then leave us all a post so we can celebrate with you!

2 hallelujahs & a LOL

Yesterday I was the happy recipient of this big beautiful Energy Star front load baby.....

It may be white on the outside but inside she is all green! I was a happy lady watching the action of a front load for the first time. Listen to me, I'm like the female version of a guy and his car. But I'll never admit to petting the top as we bonded..... Back to the point, my kids gave me this beauty for my birthday this year. I do have the coolest kids, pretty thoughtful and nurturing of their Mom. Thank you Mel(inda), Sarina & James!


Right as the evening news started I heard a familiar clunk at my door. Already in splendor over the hum of a washer I think I actually ran to the door.....







I think Connor knows he'll be spending a lot of time in the office this weekend!


Finally I was so rolling in bed in laughter over the SNL Weekend update Thursday.... Does anybody out there know how to insert UTube videos onto Blogger sites??? Please please email me so I can link last nights episode.... The economist just had me rolling. They need to FIX it! Go Fix it! Just FIX it!

Oh Baby it is so cold outside it calls for a night of scrapping by the fire! Have a great weekend everyone!

Using the voice God gave me....

When Mel lived in Seattle and worked at Brooks in Bothell she would drop off Katie to spend the days with me. So we saw each other daily and had plenty of time for conversation. We occasionally had moments with relationship overload but now that she has moved to Oakland I really miss our conversations about social issues. Between the two of us we could find a variety of causes to discuss. Good thing I’m blogging now because all this stuff keeps rattling around in my old noggin……

Did you know that 1 of 2 men and 1 of 3 women in the US will be diagnosed with some form of cancer?

I hope you all got to see the fantastic show recently broadcast on 3 networks known as Stand up to Cancer. I received an email update and went on the website and started checking out what has happened since the show. With Barack encouraging us all to get involved fueled by my disappointment with the current administration & congress I went directly to the tab “get involved” and found email congress. I figure that if I am going to complain about congress for not supporting issues I find important, then I better make sure they know what I want first. By entering in my full zip code, it directed me to the appropriate email addresses for my area. It also supplied a sample letter format that you could fully edit to make personal. Most organizations I support have this feature and I have used it often for environmental issues (WE). So I sent my 3 out yesterday and have only received a reply from one of my Senators so far. I am looking forward to their reply to see what they have done to support the cause of finding a cure for cancer. If anyone is interested in the cause I have provided a link below. Play around on the site as I have learned a lot from it…..

find site here

Returning full circle and back to Mel. I will leave you with a layout done of their first home bought. They have it decorated very Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware style….. Gorgeous!





Thanks for reading.....

a few photos of mom

These 2 photos were in the stack my sister gave me a few weeks ago. I love getting new old photos to play with... first one is of mom when she was 5 years old and on her toes. She was a dancer with the Portland city Ballet until she broke her leg playing on the stairs.... there are some real doozies around with her in some pretty interesting costumes. (calling all jpegs from relatives)


This next one is a photo of mom with one of her best friends Helen Maul. Helen and mom were the garden club mavens in Ridgefield, taking care of the towns gardens & pots for years. I love that mom is in her "Paint Sweater". Here they are setting up for the yearly garden club plant sale.

My heart and prayers go out to Helen right now as she battles colon cancer. I have so many happy memories of her. She was way beyond cool when I was growing up and I really love her. I even planted a vine maple in my back yard when I first moved in "just like Helens".

Happy Birthday Sister Sue!

MY 10 favorite memories about my OLDER sister Sue:

1. Going for rides on the back of the Honda - I think I fell off once didn't I?

2. Spending hours in your room at night - having you put my hair up in those old hard brush curlers. The hairdryer cap & hose thing, & the combing, ratting, styling DO's we would create.

3. Listening to your music with you and I still think you sound just like Diana Ross.

4. Crashing over the garbage can with the car at the hamburger joint/putt putt golf place (what is the name of it?)

5. Watching you at Lakeshore swim club. You and the older girls in the corner, smearing cocoa butter and baby oil and acting so cool. I couldn't wait to be that age.....

6. The water fights you would get in with Dad. The time you brought the hose into the back door to spray Dad. I remember these as pretty wicked. I loved it - Mom didn't.

7. All of the summer pool parties and family times we had when we both lived in Ridgefield. Nobody was safe from being thrown into the pool. The only chance that one might have of escape is the "No, I've got my good watch on!"

8. I loved your Ridgefield home with the Atrium. It was so big and spacious and beautiful. I loved the HUGE Christmas trees you had each year.

9. The watermelon seed spitting contests we had in the front. How on earth can you spit so far?

10. You helping me when I had my first knee surgery. You were a real blessing to me then just as you are to me now.

I love you sister - Happy Birthday!

That lovin feeling....

Absolutely Drooling over Studio Calico September kit (I know I'm a bit behind)...... I can hardly wait to use these papers with the Heidi Swapp transparencies and the vintage page. Hot things? too many to count! Check back later this week for some layouts using this product.

I would have to say that the Studio Calico gallery and monthly kits have had the most influence on my scrapbooking style this year. I love that they include a stamp set and an alphabet pack in each kit. Tonight @ 9pm Pacific the October kit is available and you can find the link to Studio Calico in the right column.

good night guys.......

anatomy of a layout

I like to work on layouts over time vs. at one sitting and I get great pleasure from the slow thoughtful evolution of the work. For me scrapbooking is a creative outlet first documentation for future generations second. So when I start a layout it begins with a photo........

I always start with a photo or photos and a decision of what the layout message will be. Whether my purpose is to capture a moment in time or to encourage introspection. A Basic Story.....

I next select cardstock & patterned papers which help determine the color scheme. This can take some time and I usually set everything on a table and just let them be a while. I like to come back to it several times to see it with fresh eyes while I select the remaining elements. I go through my stash by different categories i.e. journal cards, flowers, ribbons or tapes, metal, chipboard, words, alphabets and keep gathering everything on the table......

The process of positioning elements on my layout is purely playing around until I like it. (I use repositionable tape) I edit the large stash compiled and simply move things around until I am happy with the composition. I work a title into the design while adding embellishments & plan my journal element. Sometimes I start a layout with specific journaling in mind but most often it developes over time.

Remember, this is mostly for pleasure so I just keep going until I get the "I like it" feeling. I usually display it a few days just in case I find one last little detail to add ........