When in Doubt - Throw it OUT!

Hello everyone... it's a very tired and sweaty Lynne here today - stopping right in the middle of my move to get this blog post done for my last post this term on the Susan K. Weckesser Design Team! As you all know, we are moving off our acreage of thirteen years and into a smaller house, and the experience has made me realize that I keep everything.  And that is because when other people see garbage I see potential and the possibilities.  But over the past 60 days I have had to get rid of, give away, and THROW away a lot of stuff.  

Like a pile coffee-mate tins that I have been saving (hoarding?) for years because I couldn't bare to throw away something so solid, so well-made, and I just knew there was something I could do with them - but I threw them all away except one - and here it is: Re-purposed as a Garbage Tin to sit on top of my new workspace, which I couldn't even label it as "garbage", but had to label as "My Leftovers", and which will be a daily reminder for me that "When in Doubt, THROW IT OUT! (Big Giant Smile)

 

I hope you enjoyed my little project which uses only the Susan K. Weckesser paper line "Live in Color", mod podge, ink and stickles. Thanks for popping by today and do keep on checking in to see what I am up to!

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

CREATIVITY is ...

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. ART is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams

When I came across this quote about a year ago it felt like I had been hit by a meteorite and the impact knocked my inner artist right on her Butt.  Allowing yourself to make mistakes? Totally opposite to what I had been allowing myself to do up to that point.  But here I am one year later absolutely allowing myself to make mistakes and finally listening to that inner voice - obeying without hesitation - and allowing my inner artist to have free reign.  
And what is this all about?  Well I made a binder for my large stencils (the one I referred to maybe making in my April 13th post) to which I pay homage to both this quote and to the Czeck artist Mucha whose art and life have provided me with both inspiration and encouragement... Enjoy!

I started with two 12x12 pieces of cardboard onto which I mod podged book pages and scraps of music paper and then sprayed with my dylusions sprays.  Then I added the images by Mucha,

Here is the front cover before I added the quote...

which I fussy cut from a calendar that I have been saving for about six years waiting for the right project to use them on, and this was it.  

And just like the small binder I created, I allowed this binder to evolve as it would, adding and layering and splattering and doodling with only a wee bit of hesitation when I outlined those gold hearts in black marker (grin)

I painted my Prima butterflies cut from bark with gesso and then sprayed them with my dylusions and I love how they kept the texture but added little pops of bright color on my covers.  

The quote was the very last thing I added, and then I punched holes into the covers, added my binder rings and my plastic scrapbook page sleeves and had fun inserting and organizing my large stencils.

I had to add an extra two-inch strip of cardboard to each outside edge to extend the covers so they enclosed my page sleeves, but I used Beaton's 3 in1 glue and is did the job beautifully.

The end result is heavier than I thought it would be, but quite sturdy, and I think I will add a cloth strap with a velcro closure to make it just a little bit more solid.

Well that's it for now!  Thanks for stopping by today to see what I am up to, and please do leave me a comment if you like what you see, (smile).

Cheers

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

 






  

Isn't THIS a PARTY!

Oh BOY! It's Party Time over at Handmade Harbour for this week's Papercraft Party, the challenge being "Birthdays or Best Wishes" ~ and it was a NO BRAINER to choose this new, exciting digital stamp designed by Wendy called "Girls Celebrating".  I LOVE the energy of these three women and I adore that they each are holding a glass of red wine (well in my version anyway...smile)

and since even I cannot fussy cut those stick legs and arms what I did was print my stamp twice, once on the patterned paper and once on a white cardstock, after which I colored the bits that I did want to cut out and layered those on top of the patterened paper, popping a few pieces for interest.  Isn't this a totally cute card?

So Pop on over the Handmade Harbour Blog today to see what else the design team created and why not link up a birthday or party-themed project so that you too can be eligible for the Handmade Harbour winner's blinkie for your blog.  And if you use an Handmade Harbour digital stamp you can also win three more of your choice!

Thanks for popping by today... and leave me some blog loving in the form of a comment if you like what you see... 

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

"E" is for Embellishment...

Whooo HOOO! Today is Challenge #6 over at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers and this week it is:

Yup, create a card using at least three embellishments and you're IN!  Here is mine... 

I LOVED making this paper dress which I totally scraplifted from the awesome Kellie Reynolds of Kell Belle Studio, check out her website HERE,  purchasing one of her original creations is now on my Bucket List... smile.

I embellished my card using a Stampin' Up jeweled brad, a Maya Road metal hanger and a BEAUTIFUL Fimo flower from a fabulous little scrapbooking store in France that designs their own embellishments called Scrap n' Design. and a piece of satin ribbon from Prima.  The background is just plain white cardstock and one entire package of rub-ons from Fancy Pants Designs that I have been saving forever.  

Isn't it just a lovely card?  This lovely, uplifting piece is making it's way to my sweet young friend in Calgary who just turned 12, and needs to be reminded just how BEEEAUUUTIFUL she is!  

You can find Kellie's Video Instructions for making a paper dress HERE: Why not try one and link up to this week's challenge over as Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers... you have until May 2nd to participate and you too can be eligible to win our AWESOME Winner's Blinkies for your blog.

Thanks for stopping by today to see what I am up too.. don't forget to leave me a little "sugar" in the form of a comment if you like what you see..

Cheers, Scrapbook Lynne Mizera 

A Woman's Best Friend...

The challenge this week over at the Handmade Harbour Papercraft Party is "Family or Friends" and the digi I chose to use is this wonderful new creation by Wendy that absolutely tugs at my heartstrings, appropriately called "Dog Waiting at Window", 

because although I have many human friends and family members it's my fur friend that gives me my biggest dose of unconditional love every day...and everytime we leave She waits at our front window until she sees us turning back into the driveway.

I colored this digi using my copic markers and drew in some lines to create a floor and walls... but this image didn't need any other embellishment because for me the picture says it all!

So pop on over to the Handmade Harbour blog to see what else the design team created and maybe link up one of your own projects for this Papercraft Party .... you too could be the winner of the coveted Handmade Harbour Winners Blinkie for your blog!

Bye for now....

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

Spring: A Time of Renewal and Re-organization...

Hello PEEPS!  Today I am sharing with you some of my thoughts on Spring!!  What is it about Spring that makes us want to CLEAN Everything?!  Is it the renewal of life making us want everything bright and new again?  Or (more likely for me) is it all that lovely bright sunshine streaming through the winter-dirty windows lighting up all the dust and cobwebs in the corners of my rooms?  Whatever it is Spring is a time of year when I am filled with a huge energy and desire to clean and re-organize EVERYTHING... Which brings me to this lovely little project that I created for my next-to-last post for the Susank K. Weckesser design team, It's a book for all my small stencils which I made from two 10"x10" pieces of cardboard and two binder rings.

Here's the front cover: I mod podged a few torn pages from an old book onto the cardboard, sprayed it with my Dylusions sprays and cut and pasted from Susan K. Weckesser's Live in Color paper line and her digital stamp version of "Purpose of ART" stamp set ...Which is NOW availabe in the UK at Polka Doodles (which I just ordered!)

As always, I popped a few of the elements for interest, doodled in my title and around a few other elements as the mood struck me, and then I accented everything with stickles and liquid pearl...

Here's the back:  I used up some old chipboard shapes that I have had lying around forever.  I'ts amazing how something changes when you cover it with gesso and paint it in the colors you want it to be, I Love gesso.

I created the stems for these flowers using a bright green hemp cord from May Arts that I have been saving for something really special, I also punched holes into the top bottom of my front cover and threaded the green cord through... I just love the texture it created and I cannot stop touching it (grin).

Here are the front and back covers all layed out... I didn't really have a plan for this book, I just let it evolve and take me where it would.  I am discovering that when I take all the pressure off myself to "make it perfect" how perfectly something will evolve.  And because this was only a cardboard book for my stencils there was no pressure or need to "be perfect" at all and just look at how fantastic it is...Grin.

After the covers were completed and dry I punched in holes using my Crop-a-Dial and I used some old 8"x8" plastic page sleeves from an old scrapbook album to slide stencils into (I can fit four to a sleeve) but then I ran out of 8x8 sleeves...

So then I punched holes right into the side of the plastic ziplock bags that other of my stencils came in, putting two in each bag and "voila"... all my small stencils are now in one place (happy Grin). Note: the inside cover of my book was created by mod podging my inky paper towels (used to blot when I spray) to the inside cover... cool huh?

Another tip, collect up all the supplies you think you want to use and then just use them... don't think about it, just DO IT, you never know what will happen!

So now I feel just so organized that I think I need to make another of these books for my large stencils using 12x12 cardboard and 12x12 scrapbook page sleeves... what do you think?
Thanks for popping by today to see what I am up to, and PLEASE leave me a comment if you are liking what you see, especially if this post leads you to make one of these books too! (smile)

Susan K. Weckesser Design Team Member
Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

PS:  Inspiration for this project was provided by Kelly S. and her video link that was posted to facebook in April (and who I am now following on YOU Tube - she's AWESOME!)
See Kelly's Video HERE:

Products used to create this Project:
Susan K. Weckesser's Live in Color paper line
Susan K. Weckesser "Purpose of ART" digital stamp
May Arts Fiber
Ranger's Stickles & Liquid Pearls
Plaid Mod Podge for Paper
CTMH Liquid Glass
Golden Fluid Acrylic Paint
Golden Gesso
Zig Black Vellum Liner
Sharpies

Happy NEW Home Day!

This week at Handmade Harbour the challenge theme for our weekly Papercraft Party is "Home", and the timing works out perfectly in my life since we pick up the keys to our brand new home in just two days.  And even though moving is crazy and stressful and pokes at every seam of your relationships looking for weak spots - it's also exciting to be starting anew, in a new home, in a different town, with new neighbors.... BIG GIANT SMILE!

And in keeping with my theme this week I used a brand new digital stamp designed by Wendy (you can see all her new stamps HERE) and as you can see I only colored the "new house", leaving all else black and white... don't you just love the contrast, and how it really makes the new home pop!  So why not POP on over to the Handmade Harbour blog to see what else the design team created for this week's Papercraft Party and why not link up a home-themed project of your own?  You could even win the coveted "Winners Blinkie" for your blog!

Thanks for stopping by today to see what I am up to, and please send a prayer my way whenever you think of me over the next three weeks as I try to fit all of our accumulated stuff from 13 years on an acreage into our new home in town (grin).

Cheers!

New Townie...

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

 

Challenge YOUrself #5 - Use Something Trendy...

This month the challenge over at the Challenge YOUrself scrapbooking blog and challenge site is:  USE SOMETHING TRENDY - " Use at least THREE trendy things" on a layout you create that contains one or more photos of yourself.  (remember this is a site that is challenging us to come out from behind that camera and to get photos of ourselves onto some of those layouts we create!)   

Some of the things that are trending right now in the scrapbook world are chalk, feathers, arrows, speech bubbles, sprays, using stencils, hand-written titles, doodling, wooden embellishments, metal embossing... etc. etc, and here is what I created...

and the "trendy" items I used are 1) a hand-written title; 2) my dylusion sprays; 3) a wooden clock embellishment; 4)a star stencil and 5)selfies!

 I used my MAC Photo Booth App to take these "authentic" photos of myself and then I played around with some of the photo effects in this app to get the photo negative film strip look... Hey! Another trending thing right now (grin).

My layout this month was inspired by a quote my friend Christy Riopel posted to facebook last week that really resonated with me: 

"Life is too short for fake butter, cheese or people." 

so I am dedicating this layout to my friend Ms. Christy Riopel... a talented artist, supportive friend and truly authentic woman - Thank you DAAARRRRLING, for all you do and all you are... (smile)

So please pop on over to the Challenge YOUrself blog to see what else the design team came up with for this challenge and maybe consider linking up one of your own layouts... there is always an awesome prize package for someone every month plus you get another layout of yourself completed for your family album.

Cheers! Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

"Q" is for QUEEN!

Hello Everyone!  It's time for another Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge, and this Go Around it is: 

Here is MY Submission, the Queen of GREAT One Liners!  This is absolutely something I would say after a glass of red wine... and after Two glasses - Johnny Depp better beware! (grin)

I went to town on this card using four different stamps.  That lovely lady is a new Unity AngieGirl stamp called Brooke Girl; the flowers are a Frog's Whiskers stamp; the background is one of my favorite Harmonie stamps; and the sentiment is from a company called Riley & Company, their Funny Bones line of stamps (totally WORTH Checking out!)

So why not create something "Queenly" (or just use a crown or some bling in your creation) and then Join the Party! - linking up to our Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Blog using the Linky Tool, you have until April 18th and YOU TOO could be eligible to win one of these AWESOME blinkies for your blog. 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave me a quick comment if you like what you see!
Scrapbook Lynne Mizera