Starting 30 Days of Creativity - #1

Last month an amazingly talented friend of mine (Ms. Christy Riopel) started an adventure called "30 days of Art Pieces" - She made a commitment to create one piece of art every single day for 30 days.  She was challenged to do this by another amazing Canadian woman/artist/extraordinary soul - Ms. Karen Ellis, who read about the original idea by an American artist Ms. Nancy Wier HERE .  The concept is to just make something every day for 30 days.  It doesn't have to be finished - it doesn't have to be pretty - you don't even have to like it... it's about the process; it's about tapping into that creative energy inside you and allowing it free reign because you don't have TIME to think about the project, analyze the project, or even change what you start.  Just the sheer volume of a project-a-day will make you to go places and do things that you  had no idea were inside you - you may even surprise yourself with what you produce.

So I am jumping on board and going to create something every single day for the next 30 days ... and I am going to share it with all of you... (maybe - grin)... remember it doesn't have to be pretty or even finished... But This is Number 1 and it is finished and I LOVE it - especially for Halloween... I am not going to go into a lot of detail about the process for these pieces - I am just going to share them and maybe give you some close ups so you can see the detail.

Using Dyan Reaveley and Frog's Whiskers stamps; dylusions sprays and Lots of Doodling in black and white I just kept layering and layering and in a suprisingly short time I was done!

But I am totally immersing myself into the process - my hands are  permanently stained and my studio is in a constant state of chaos ... and I am HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!

So now Ms. Nancy Wier started it, Karen Ellis Challenged Christy Riopel, who Challenged me... who is now Challenging YOU... and make sure you let me know here or on Facebook if you take up this challenge because I want to follow your journey TOOOO!

Thanks for stopping by to share again with me today... 

Happy Creating... Scrapbook Lynne

Drunken Stampers Challenge #147 - HALLOWEEN (of course)

It's Drunken Stampers Challenge #147 - a Person - A Goth (OR Halloween!)  Yup, it's that time again and how fun it is to have the freedom Halloween gives us to create or re-create ourselves in anyway we like... This week for the challenge I took the Halloween route because I really, REALLY wanted to use this pumpkin die that I have had for a while .... a cute yet creepy pumpkin image.... and I made two cards - one for each grandson in Ft. Mac.  Adding the Googly eyes took the images to a whole new level....

and then adding the moustache/hair to another level again.... how AWESOME is he??

So, thanks for stopping by to share with me again today and why not head on over to the Drunken Stampers Lounge to check out what the rest of the team designed?  and we would LOVE you to play along too ... just link up your Goth or Halloween themed project using our linky tool and have a chance to win the coveted "I was the LIFE OF the PARTY" Blinky for your blog....

Cheers... Smile... and Haaaappppeeee Halloweeen!

Scrapbook Lynne

Is HOME a Place? A Page from My Art Journal

Good Morning everyone … today I am sharing another one of my Art Journal pages with all of you, and just to recap my personal guidelines for art journaling are: 1) to use whatever leftover bits are in front of me after a session of creating and 2) to give that little voice in my head free reign and to do whatever it guides me to do - no matter what.

Now to be totally honest I started doing this Art Journal thing as way to help me to clean up my counter space since I seem to have a hard time throwing any little bit of anything away (Grin)… but the experience has now evolved into a very personal process and it has become a way for me to express feelings that I find I am suppressing or even hiding from myself.

This page started out as a pretty fall page using all those colors that resonate so strongly in my soul – yellow, orange, amber, gold and brown – but it ended up being a reflection of the emotional upheaval I am experiencing even thinking about moving away from the home that I love so much… the home that my hubby and I have created from the ground up over the past 13 years here in the foothills of Alberta.  I had not even realized I was having all of these feelings until I “uncorked” the bottle I keep that little voice in and all of this poured out!  The creative process took me to all kinds of crazy places… Like tearing a page out of an old book (Freudian stuff here?) ripping it up and gluing it down in a blob(??)  And paper piecing the Susan K. Weckesser house stamp in monochrome colors and fencing it in(?!).  But it was the final step in my process that was the most revealing...

picking up that black pen to doodle where ever it felt right… and then putting that same pen down and writing from my soul… and what came out was so honest and then so cathartic and finally so healing…

"Is “HOME” a place? Or is “HOME” a feeling that we can create and re-create wherever we are?"  And then I realized that even if we do move, the memory of THIS home will always be in my heart… and that I know I CAN have (and will have) this feeling again now matter where I live.

So thanks for stopping by to share a tiny piece of my soul with me today.  I hope it helps you to reflect on what HOME means to you in your life right now.  And you know I LOVE when you leave me some blog lovin' in the form of a comment!

Note: I used the Susan K. Weckesser Happy Homestead stamp by Unity stamps on this project

HAPPEEEE HALLOWEEEEN!

This is SCARY or FUNNY week over at the Handmade Harbour Paper Craft Party #10 and my slightly twisted sense of humour kicked in when I saw this digi called the Witches Potion Shelf ... I'm not sure what was more fun ... coloring the image with my Copic markers or imagining my friend's face when I sent her this invitation to come for tea this week (Grin).

This time I did not fussy cut any of the image because the items were just too small, even for me, so instead I "shadowed" everything to create the optical illusion of dimension.  But after coloring the shelf I felt that it was still missing something, and then I got the idea to use my Local King Rubber Stamp cracked wall background stamp and stamp OVER TOP of everything after it was already colored!  I used a soft grey ink from Marvy called Lake Mist and this color disappeared into the darker colors (so it didn't show) but showed just enough on the lighter colors to make it look like you could see through the bottles to the wall behind... and when I added a layer of liquid glass those bottles looked absolutely 3-D!

And in keeping with the slightly aged look of the card I distressed the edges of the paper roughly enough so that the edges split and then inked the edges in Chocolate Brown ink.

So Please pop by and see what else the Handmade Harbour Design Team has come up with for this week's Challenge #10 and we'd LOVE you to play along too if you have time.. AND don't forget... if you use one of Handmade Harbour's digital stamps in your entry you will be eligible to win FREE DIGIS! as well as the coveted Handmade Harbour Winner's Blinky for your blog!

FREE HANDMADE DIGITAL STAMPS HERE

Thanks for stopping by to share again with me today... and have a VONDERFUL, VONDERFUL HALLOVEEEN  (Grin)

Scrapbook Lynne
I am entering this card into the following Challenges:
Try it on Tuesdays - Halloween - (Nov 5)
Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes (Oct 28)
MarkerPOP - Challenge #33 - Halloween (Nov 2)

 

Let it Snow... Let it Snow ... Let it Snow!

And a FROSTY Good Morning to you all!  I know that in MOST of the rest of the world snow is still a far off event, but here in western Alberta, Canada we had our first snow this weekend - so I thought I would share the JOY of winter with the rest of you and start getting you into the winter/Christmas spirit with my post this month for the Susan K. Weckesser design team.

The idea for this card came from waking up Friday morning and looking out at our first snow... I wanted to share the feeling of being inside my warm and cozy house looking out onto a cold and snowy winter morning.  My HAPPY PLACE!

I used the snowman image from the Susan K. Weckesser Christmas Love Campaign, because this year's campaign is just around the corner!  And if this is your first time experiencing the  Christmas Love Campaign you are in for a REAL Treat... go here to find out why it came into being and how it works, and then stay tuned for updates about the 2013 season because this year's campaign is going to be FANTASTIC. 

Thanks for stopping by to share with me today and Keep WARM! Grin 

Scrapbook Lynne

NOTE:  I'm entering this card in the MarkerPOP Challenge #32 because I colored all my stamped images with my Copic markers (which, as you know... I LOVE!)  So if you love to color with your Copics as much as I do... come check them out... Smile.
 

Used in this Project:

Susan K. Weckesser products:

Create Your Day Stamps - Unity Stamps

One of a Kind Winter - Unity Stamps

Other Products:

Memory Box die - Grand Madison Window

Rangers Stickles

CTMH Liquid Glass

Who Doesn't Love a CARNIVAL?

Wow!! It's that time again, already - another Drunken Stampers challenge and this week Challenge #145 is a Place  - a CARNIVAL!  Just create a card using anything you would find at a carnival, post it on your blog and link it up in our Drunken Stampers Lounge using our Linky Tool.. You have until Friday!  

This week my choice for the challenge is - BALLOONS!  This is a really simple card that I created using my Quickutz Revolution die cutting machine and a balloon die.  

This is one of the first dies I ever bought and I still love it... and the bright, patterned balloons against the white background just look so fun and cheerful.

The hardest part of the entire card was deciding what paper to use and how many patterns I wanted and where I wanted them to go.

But once I had decided which balloons I wanted and where they were all going - I glued them down and then doodled in some strings with a black pen.

One of the other little tricks I used was outlining all my balloons with a black copic marker to make them pop off the page.  It's quicker and easier than inking the edges and I love the look.

And OF COURSE... the finishing touch (for me) was adding liquid glass here and there to make those balloons look bright and shiny.

Thanks for stopping by to share with me today... now why not pop on over the Drunken Stamper Lounge to see what the other Yellow Canaries created for the Carnival Challenge this week.

Cheers!
from Scrapbook Lynne

It's a "Dad" Card...with Handmade Harbour

Today I want to share with you a card I made for the Handmade Harbour Mid-week Papercraft Party #8 - to create a card for men or boys.  I'm not sure why masculine cards always seem so hard to make, maybe it's because I want to put glitter on everything (grin).  But this card was really easy to make once I saw the "Dad's Shed" digital stamp at Handmade Harbour... My creative juices started flowing immediately because I could see about three different ways I could cut out and "pop" that shed to get some really cool dimensional illusions going!

I used my copic markers to color the entire shed and then I cut out the door and interior view and glued that part flat to my card stock.  I put foam pop dots on the rest of the shed and "raised" it from the interior view so that you are now looking INTO the shed!  

But WAIT! Then I printed the imaged one more time and colored and cut out the shovel and flowers and popped them up from the shed... so now you have a multi dimensional card which really looks like Dad's Shed! (except waaay cleaner and neater!) 

Thanks for stopping by to share again with me today... and pop over to the Handmade Harbour site to see what everyone else has created for the "Men and Boys".  And I would LOVE if you decided to play along with us too... You have until Next Tuesday, October 15th to link up your project and if you use a Handmade Harbour digital stamp in your project you will have a chance to win three free digi's of YOUR Choice!

Cheers!

Scrapbook Lynne
I am entering this card into the following Challenge:
C is for Challenge #7 - Men and Boys

It's International CARD MAKING Day!

Who Knew?! An entire day devoted to card making... Well I just have to participate don't I?   What a great way to celebrate so many things I love ... crafting, paper arts, friends and family!

Here is card I created using the Mr. Stinky digital stamp that is being sold as a fundraiser for an artist in need that I am very close to... so what a PERFECT way to celebrate World Card Making Day by sharing my card AND the Fundraiser! (Smile)

Link to Fundraiser information HERE

Here is a card I created using one of the Handmade Harbour digital stamps for their weekly Papercraft Party. This week it's a Halloween theme.  They are an AMAZING little company out of the UK who are just getting their challenge blog started up and I love playing with their digis.  Why not pop in for a visit today?

And here is a card I created for the Drunken Stampers Challenge #143 this week we were to use a die cut... I used the piece left over AFTER you cut out your image... Soooo Meee!

So, enjoy World Card Making Day this year and maybe you can find a minute to make a card to share with us today...Smile!

Thanks for stopping by and leave me some Blog love in the form of a comment if you like!
Scrapbook Lynne

A Fund Raising Effort to Help out an Artist In NEED...

I don't often do this.... Well actually I've NEVER done this before... but I am participating in, and spreading the word for a fundraiser for an incredible artist and just down right nice person Mr. Guy Gondron.   

The Strawman from Guy's Wizard of Oz Collection

I came to know Guy through the Copic Marker Scrapbooking design team I was on for two years, he was the artist who drew a lot of the digital stamps for our team and he is incredibly talented.  But he is going through a really rough time right now and could really use our help. 

From Guy's Owl Collection

About 18 months ago Guy underwent major surgery for tonsil cancer; he survived that and the ensuing chemotherapy as well as learning all over again how to chew and talk and be the NEW Mr. Guy Gondron; He was just getting his life back, working and painting again when on September 11th, after months of major and minor symptoms,  he was diagnosed with a muscle wasting disease called Autoimmune Dermatomyositis which is related to his cancer.  (Go HERE to find out more about his condition or to DONATE)

From Guy's Legends Collection

Once his diagnosis was discovered his employer immediately fired him (I guess they can still do that in the USA) and that is when Guy found out that there is no welfare or social assistance of any kind for single, unemployed males in Arizona - there is if you have dependents, but not if you don't.  This man is out of options.

The Dragon from Guy's Wizard Collection

So we, his friends, have set up a donation site for him and we are participating in this little fund raiser to help get some money into his bank account right now for basic things like food and rent... then we will look at organizing a larger, auction-type fund raiser with donations of items from artists all over the world for you to purchase.

For this event Guy is offering up this wonderful set of digital stamps that he created for a good friend's little girl.  They are renderings of her most favorite stuffy - Mr. Stinky (see photo below), and up until now only available to her.  I colored four of the six images in the set and I have tried to stay true to Mr. Stinky's original coloring.

The Original Mr. Stinky

I just love how Guy has captured the personality of this little guy in just a few strokes of his pen... He is so VERY Talented! I made cards with Mr. Stinky sharing things that I think he would want to say to his young charge.

So if you would like to own a set of these awesome Mr. Stinky digis AND help out the artist at the same time... you can buy the entire set for only $5 - please GO HERE to BUY MR. STINKY ... All funds go directly to Guy for his Meds and living expenses.  Right now he is unable to work, or draw or paint or even walk without aid - and this week even driving became an issue - sigh. So THANK GOODNESS For friends!

Thanks for stopping by to share today and don't forget to leave me some blog love!!! Grin
Scrapbook Lynne 

Submit! Submit! SUBMIT! ( A Shout-out to Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine)

This Month I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY to discover that my layout had been chosen as one of the "Editor's Pick's" in the Fall issue of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine!!

And along with the reward of being published I also received an entire prize box of goodies - Whoo Hoo!

But, although the gifts were wonderful to receive and being chosen was a fantastic suprise, it was the words written by Editor/Owner Jackie Ludlage that really meant the most to me - because I created this layout from my heart and someone recognized that.

I made this page because I had all this expensive watercolor paper on which I had been practicing washes, and it was TOO expensive to just throw away.  So I stamped and cut out and layered things overtop of my favorite washes, allowing my "inner artist" voice to have free reign for the first time Ever! Here is the link to my post about this project if you want to know more (smile) ... but in this post I want to talk about submitting your work and submitting it Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine.

Sometimes it is hard to submit our work to be "judged".  We put our heart and souls into what we create and we only send in the projects that we think are worthy of being seen by "the world", so if it isn't chosen it's HARD!  But don't take it personally if your first or second or even third submission isn't picked, and DON'T Stop submitting.  You just never know what they are looking for.  I don't know how these people who publish us even choose one layout over another because they receive so many wonderful projects and layouts for every publication, but I do know that they try to fit in as many layouts and projects as they can.  And if you have never been published before you actually have a better chance of being chosen because they always try to publish "first timers" above us OLD Timers!

CANADIAN SCRAPBOOKER SUBMISSION PAGE

And it's SUPER EASY to submit a layout for consideration... just take a good quality photo of your project and use their on-line form to send it to them.  If they want to use your layout in an issue, you will receive an e-mail asking you to mail them the original (which will be returned to you) so that they can photograph it for that issue.  It's THAT simple and you will receive a free copy of the magazine for every layout that is published.    

One of the most wonderful things of all (I think) about this amazing Canadian scrapbooking magazine is that not only do they publish only Canadian submissions, but they also publish every style of project from very clean and simple to over-the-top layered and detailed.  And they include the name of the designer and where they live and many times little details about the process and design tips. But for the rest of us to share in your beautiful work... you have to take the chance and SUBMIT!  So take a chance and send something today... you just NEVER KNOW! (grin)

Thanks for stopping by today to share... and don't forget to leave me some "blog love" in the form of a comment!

Scrapbook Lynne