"Dressing the Nest' for Fall

How did it get to be Thursday so fast? If you remember way back on Sunday, I promised a glimpse into some of the fall decor I've been inspired to put together. In all honesty, I started this post last night and then got swept away by Glee (Emma as Audrey, simply wonderful). All inspiration credit goes to The Nester and her 31 Days to a Better Dressed Nest Series(although today's post ---fix something not particularly inspiring or maybe it's just because I like to put my head in hole and avoid those things, wonder if a call to the prop manager counts?)

The fall banner(center pic and close up on right) is what started this whole thing. Nester found it somewhere else and made one and you know it was everything I had not to rush out an buy some burlap that very minute. But I couldn't just hang a plain burlap banner ---oh no I decided I really wanted to redo the whole fireplace 'focal wall'. I've been scouting punched tin mirrors at antique stores and outside markets for a few months ---long enough to know the real deal is way out of my budget. So off to Hobby Lobby to try and find something similar, that was a no go, but mirrors were on sale so I came home with a plain black mirror. I painted the molded frame white and rubbed some silver to antique and I'm pretty happy. Banner is super easy...cut burlap into triangles, stencil letters in brown paint (I used some old BG chip letters to make the stencil) then punch 4 holes with your handy dandy crop-o-dile at the top and thread some twine or ribbon. The original poster had twine, but I'm thinking she must not have had cute brown and white polka dot ribbon, otherwise how could she resist.

The Nester is a big promoter of the 'Shop the House' theory for accessorizing and decorating, Yay for her as she has clearly spent her extra pennies on accessories at TJ Max and Ross. I shopped my house and came up with 3 types of things: clothing, craft supplies, and dead and faded dried flowers. Sadly hanging my beloved pink denim jacket on the wall just didn't look right, so I moved on to the craft supplies. Who knew mists could bring life to faded flowers? I wrapped a basic jar candle in my beloved ribbon and stuck a misted prima in the middle. Did you know burlap is super cheap? Not great if you suffer from asthma or allergies, but if you can get past it, this stuff is great for decorating for fall on the cheap. Not only did I use it on the banner, I used as table covers and runners for a bookcase, dining table, and side table. Then I stuffed an old pillow in a folded piece and stitched it up with some twine. Cute, made cuter by hot gluing some silk leaves (in the $1 spot at Target) on the front.

Even my October kit from Studio Calico got in the fun, I copied this from
one of the Tinas on the SC Design Team. Make a tree from Bo Bunny rubons, spell out Autumn with BG letter stickers, add some Cosmo Boyfriend paper, Brown cardstock and green pompom trim and you've got a festive art piece, stick it a frame from Goodwill with some silk leaves hot glued on and you've hit a home run.

I'm still on the search for the perfect pumpkin to be the centerpiece on the dining table, for now the white plastic one is filling in just fine.

How about you, how have you dressed you nest for fall?

August Leftovers

I had a little self conflict yesterday posting sneaks, knowing full well that I had several layouts done in August that I haven't posted, some of you who know me well know I am all about order and routine, so you understand the inner conflict. Certainly not all are post worthy, but there were a few that I absolutely loved and felt they needed a little room in the spotlight. So since there is one more day left in the month I thought I'd squeeze them in...

The first one was for the August sketch...contest ends TONIGHT, just in case you're incredibly motivated...


Playing around with scraps...look out...if something is standing still I might just hit it with some metallic mist as is what happened with the thickers and flowers in this layout...


The 'rule follower' in me says I should teach her now that slides aren't for going up and that's dangerous, but the 'embrace the cuteness' me trumped that voice...


Hard to believe it's been almost a year...

Altered Journal Goodness

Have you noticed the school supplies everywhere you go, I love all of them...crayons, binders, and especially composition books on sale for 50 cents. I usually stock up and by 10 or so. Then I have them on hand when the inspiration hits...and hit it did. I gave this birdy a glitter bath thinking he would go on one of the layouts I posted yesterday, but then he just turned out so wonderful I thought he needed a project where he could really be the star.

I built up his nest with other goodies and adhered them all to the front on a composition book, I know this glittery friend with the cheery yellow will bring a smile to my face on those stressful days that the start of the school year brings.

It's Reveal Day

(in my head I can hear an HGTV host saying the title)

anyway...

If you've been visiting my blog over the past week, you know that I am over the moon with the August kit from Kraft Girls Kits . From the moment I peeked in the box through 4 layouts(yes 4! and to think usually I do 4 layouts in a month) and a special project, I cherished each element.

You can see all my projects along with others from the rest of the ubertalented design team on the KGK blog or our super duper brand new flicker group. We want to see your kit work there too!

Here's the first of my layouts, I think it's my favorite, but then again I still have lots of goodies to play with...

Be sure to check the main site, there's lots of goodies to come including...

• Instructions for this layout and projects from the other DT members (they might not be up yet, but will be very soon I'm sure)
  

• A chance to win a free kit! KGK will be sponsoring 52 weeks 52 Sketches the week of August 9^th and will be giving away one of the August Kits. (Although I would say you should plan on buying one too, really I could use two and I'm sure you could too. )
  

• There's will be a sketch contest for August, another chance to win goodies

• Plus there will be a chance to win a little goodie on the blog this weekend.

Seriously 3 chances for free goodies, who else does that?

But wait there's more...The November and December 2008 kits are 50% off and the March kit is 25% off. What are you waiting for, jump on over to the KGK site right now.

Mix it up...

Just wanted to reassure all that despite my recent forays into the digi world, I'm just as content to push paper around for hours, and while this layout ended up being super simple, it sure didn't start out that way...I tried fussy cutting and then some pleating and I forgot what else, but in the end I came home to stacked flowers and tiny alphas, you just can't beat them for the perfect pop of color.

Patterned Paper: MME(dotted background), Cosmo(Title, Stripe)
Embellies: Primas, unknown button
Alpha: Making Memories

Basket Babe

Nothing says Easter like pink bling, right? This is another one of those layouts that's been in limbo, I started it at Emily's house month or so ago and just put the finishing touches on this past weekend. I think you can see the title better in real life, but maybe not.

Weather is starting to lean towards hot summer days, I was in Greeley yesterday and the carmometer said 95! Blah, spring can never last long enough for me, I would be so happy to live somewhere where it was spring all the time... maybe a week or two of fall and then back to spring...and lilacs and tulips bloom year round. Is there such a place? In my dreams...probably so

Hey Little Girl...

I honestly can't remember if I've shared this page or not, it's hard to believe that I haven't, it's become one of my favorites from the past couple of months. I love it so, because the photo so accurately portrays S for the fun, quirky, little girl she is quickly becoming. Often content to chatter away to herself, if no one else is listening.

A quick post

for a quick layout, I love it when things come together.

I had some journaling in my head for a few weeks thanks to the journaler's junction challenge 'Oh Grow Up'. I just didn't know what picture to use or what layout design would be like.

Then I saw the pub ad challenge for this week and my brain started working

To top it off I read Stephanie Howell's blog and she had an amazing layout(I think almost all of her layouts are amazing) featuring these Cute Buttons. Since it would be a while before I could get my hands on them, I rushed home with a plan B. Paint my own buttons! Then I just needed to find a picture and came across this chalkboard photo and thought perfect.

In my excitement to execute my plan, I forgot to turn on the oven so when I was done with the layout an hour later I came to the kitchen to a cold potato. Oh the price we pay for the sake of art.

here's a close up of the buttons, I know you want one...

The Wiki World

I'm continually fascinated by the wiki world, particularly the wikihows that pop up on my google home screen. Most of the time I don't actually click on the topic, but today I couldn't resist...How to Be Creative.

The author found this interesting video that made me think...



What?!? You mean I don't need every scrapbook supply ever created? This can't be right...then again I have been more productive(although not necessarily creative) in the newly purged room.

How about an altered project to show off this new creativity. We have had these Cosmo photo boxes sitting around the store for some time, I knew they would make something cool, just not sure exactly what so I set out to make a Valentiny project. I could only wish to have enough love notes to fill this box.

Supplies:

Photobox: Cosmo Cricket

Patterned Paper and letters: Pink Paislee

Flowers: Prima

Here's the rest of the article in case you need a jump start...

How to Be Creative

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Can creativity be taught? That’s a question without a simple yes or no answer. Creativity may not be able to be taught directly, but what you can get better at is frequently aligning the circumstances of life which foster the greatest chances for true creative expression. Creativity is not like a lightning strike, but more like something which manifests itself inside those who learn to foster it and create the right conditions for it to prosper.

Steps

1. Ruthlessly limit your selection of tools to only the most vital. The more limited your set of tools is, the more creative the output will be. Having a limited set of vital tools forces creativity and really challenges you to use what you have to produce the desired results. As a byproduct, you’ll get incredibly good with that small set of tools and refine your use of them to a point you can literally do anything you like with them. You’ll be far sharper than someone who merely dabbles with a larger set of tools. Learn how to be resourceful.
   


2. Don’t listen to feedback, keep following your own path. The problem with asking for feedback is invariably the feedback will be given infused with that person’s preconceived notions of what the outcome should be. Others will unconsciously push you in a direction that they see as best. This is done with good intentions; however, it actually hurts your internal creativity. Now this is different than sharing your work--by all means share, but listening to feedback is not a good decision if you want to truly find your own path of creative self-expression. Once you're finished with your creative work, whatever it may be, then you can listen to feedback. Just don't let criticism (even the constructive type) stifle your creativity during the creative process.
   
   
   
   
   • Keep in mind that people will generally display resistance to your idea, because good ideas change the existing dynamic, and people, for the most part, like things the way they are. When you present something that challenges the status quo, many people (friends, relatives, co-workers) will feel threatened.[1]
     
   
   


3. Having a routine is actually not a bad thing. Routines are positive if they reinforce a healthy, creative consciousness and negative if they destroy that. While breaking your routine once in a while to force new ways of thinking is good, what if growing/learning/experiencing new things was built into your routine as a given? The people who get stuck in a monotonous existence and speak negatively about routine have simply not developed a routine that puts them on a path of internal growth. The key is to discover creative rituals that put you in a more creative mindset.
   
   
   
   
   • Many writers not only have a minimum number of words they must write each day, but they also have almost superstitious requirements for the circumstances under which they write. The 18th century German writer Friedrich Schiller, for example, kept rotten apples at his desk and soaked his feet in a tub of ice water while he wrote![2]
     
   
   
   • Don't be afraid to seize control of your environment and make it work for you. Ray Bradbury wrote the book-burning story Fahrenheit 451 by leaving his house and writing in a library. Stephen King insists on utter silence while writing, while Harlan Ellison listens to high-volume classical music.
     
   
   
   • Set aside a block of time each day to foster your creativity. Kick the session off with a creative exercise or ritual that triggers a flexible state of mind. Whether it's meditating, freewriting, listening to a particular song, or rubbing your lucky rock--do whatever gets you "in the zone" and set a daily goal (e.g. one sketch per day, 1000 words a day, an invention or song a day).
     
   
   


4. Let go of perfectionism. Your natural output uninhibited by concern for creating something correct or incorrect will always produce creative results. There are limitless paths to achieve creative success; there are so many shades of gray. Imperfection is human, and sometimes the most creative artists leave mistakes unfixed on purpose. Nature itself is beautifully imperfect. Many try to be so perfect that they scrub away what made their work special in the first place. In a world saturated by overproduced, unnaturally perfect, and clean--the unpolished is the most creative and in many cases most inspirational.
   
   
   
   
   • Work on the "bad" ideas--even if you are only coming up with what you feel are "bad" ideas, you are still being creative, so develop them, and it could turn into a great solution!
     
   
   


5. Ignore trends. If you want to be truly creative, you absolutely must ignore trends. Block them out--pay zero attention to them. Trends are the polar opposite of creativity. In many forms of art (especially music) the masses of artists are following whatever the hot trends set forth are. Then there is the other, smaller group of artists that are pursuing their own path and not really paying attention to external trends in their form of art of choice. There is certainly more money, fame and instant notoriety for following trends, but most of what is popular is hardly creative. If you want to make something truly unique, trends are irrelevant. Looking inside yourself is where you will discover a greater wealth of creativity than available in any hot trend. Here are some more suggestions for insulating yourself from trends:
   
   
   
   
   • Don’t watch TV, don’t listen to the radio, and remove the vapid elements of popular culture from your life. These things aren’t bad for you in moderation, but they are great at normalizing your thoughts with the rest of society, and do not foster true internal creativity. Realize everything that you experience, every piece of content you consume plays a role in shaping your personality, even if at a subconscious level. It is all influence one way or another. You are in many ways a product of your experiences and stimulus. In one sentence, your creative output can be thought of simply as a personal interpretation of external stimulus. The best part about this is you get to control the input.
     
   
   
   • Don’t try and fit into a genre. Actively trying to fit your art or work into a genre is severely limiting and a detriment to its quality, if creativity is desired. Don’t try and write for a genre, don’t try to follow trends within a genre, in fact don’t even consider genre when working. Labeling it in a genre is a necessary evil for people to be able to find your work, and you will probably have to do this--but it shouldn’t be something that crosses your mind when trying to work. Genres, styles and methods don’t matter for creativity and originality.
     
   
   
   • Spend a lot of time alone. You don't have to be anti-social, but many people find their creativity really starts to open up when they are removed from others and able to have quiet focus for their creative work.
     
   
   


6. Ignore the past. Want to be really creative or original? Ignore or forget the past; ignore what the world has created up until this point. Sometimes considering the past will make you place a sort of unconscious time stamp on a style. That’s the antithesis of creativity and originality. Create things from within yourself that don’t draw inspiration from what has come previously or even consider it, and you’ll be on a path to creative output. In a creative state of mind, time doesn't exist--a few hours can feel like seconds, a moment can seem to last for hours, and you're completely immersed in the present.[3] Learn how to live in the moment.
   

The article goes on to list some interesting creativity exercises, I'll have to try at some point.

Happy creating!

'Count your blessings'

I have to admit I'm a little bummed, I designed this album as a class that no one signed up for. What's not to love about chocolate chipboard, Basic Grey Paper and CHF backgrounders, with a few primas thrown in for fun?

I just don't get it...

A Creative Day...

I'm a little sad that this is the last free Monday on my great summer schedule, it's not going to be fun to go back to a 5 day work week.

This week kicks off the back to school craziness that happens every year, I need to gear up for long days and weekend work for the next few months. So I made the most of today, took care of several errands, cleaned the fridge, a couple loads of laundry and several hours of crafty time.

I made this layout for the Journaler's Junction Challenge, how could I not participate in a challenge that incorporated statistics.
I'm in love with the glitter paper from Doodlebug, I've been ogling it since it made it's way to the store a few weeks ago. I finally broke down and bought some and used it on a few projects this weekend.

First this layout for my weekly sketch post for the Scrapbook Destination blog. It has lots of dimension with velvet die cut strip, buttons, primas and bling...my poor scanner had a heck of a time.

Then I made a card for my fabulous friend Becky whose birthday is tomorrow. I liked it so much I adapted the design for one of my Make and Take projects for the next SD Frenzy.
I even used my ever growing stash of quickutz dies, including a new 12x12 border. I used my Crop-a-dile eyelet setter to emboss the purple flowers with a polka dot pattern (learned how to do this at the super cool Maya Road booth at CHA)

Not to Proud to Beg

Guess what? BHG doesn't send an email to let you know that you've made it the semi-final round. Crazy...the good news is that I made it this week! Thank goodness I checked...now the hard part I need votes, lots and lots of votes. I've already begged my core group of friends, co-workers and family. But I know there are a few blog lurkers around or maybe you just stubled upon my little space here on the World Wide Web in either case would you PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE vote for my little layout. You can VOTE HERE once a day until next Wednesday. Thanks for your support...

Think I forgot about Video Thursday, not a chance...

In the spirit of competition, I bring you this gem from the world of Japanese games shows, gotta love them

Weekend Wind Down

Why oh why do vacation weeks go so fast...I'm not looking forward to getting up bright and early tom. am.

I did manage to accomplish a few things on the never ending list of to-dos (IM test) and managed to scrapbook almost every day during the week. Here are my favorite layouts from the week. This one is my favorite, I just love they way it turned out.I loved it so much I actually submitted it to Scrapbooks, Etc (I can hear you Emily and Viv). Sadly after submitting, I read through the latest issue and on page 100 is a layout very similar to mine. Oh well, at least I tried.

I think this picture of Connor makes this layout, perfect for these fun new papers from Prima's Just Corina "Dude" collection.
Then I did this one for the weekly sketch on the SD blog. I think I've been collecting every purple supply in the store to do a layout with these cute pics of Sienna in her cute purple hat.