Special Order Baby Girl Album

 I was asked to make this baby girl album for a good customer and friends, sister.  Actually her sister, the one whom I am making it for started the whole relationship I have with my friend and the yearly albums I make for her! Now its her turn .  It was a switch too that she already knew the papers she wanted to be used. So that saved me hours of searching for just the right papers. I usually will search through hundreds of pages of papers at acherryontop.com for all my projects.   I added to her papers, which are Kaisercraft pitter patter-girl, with a sugar and spice set  for some extra goodies. 

 She wanted lots of bling. I started the first page with a big placement for the first picture of the new baby.  I made the little banner to hang her name in front. The second page has a few more placements for pictures and a lift up to journal on. There is a pull out as well with a cute saying. 

 You can see the lift up and the pull out here.

 These pages have 4 placements for pictures, with a journaling card and cute saying. A place to put a picture of momma and baby and daddy too. The other page for grandparents. 

 A large pull out page with the starting of the firsts.

 Starting month 1 and 2 on the next pages.  with placements for 4 pictures 2 each month. One placement opens up and there is a 1 and 2 month journaling card to write special things the little one is doing. 

 As you see here. 

 Here are months 3 and 4. Again 4 total placements for pictures, and 2 journaling areas that flip up with month 3 and 4 journaling cards.  Held down with tiny clothes pins. 

 Month 5 and 6 pull out tags on this one.

 as shown here, with another large pull out page for more firsts.

 2 large picture placements with 2 journaling cards tucked into the corners. 

 Showing the journaling cards and the pull out pages.

 Month 9 and 10 with 8 picture placements here. 

Showing the pages closer with pull out page and journaling spot . 

 and the other side.

 Month 11 and 12 with large picture placments and pull out tags for another picture and journaling

 as seen here.

 The last 2 pages are to celebrate the one year mark with 2 picture placments on one side and a large placement on the other with another cute banner stating the one year mark!

Showing the last pull out back lots of room on those pull outs for journaling and more pictures too! mailing this off tomorrow! Thank you Lynn and Paula!

Another Special Order Album Ava's 6th Birthday

 Disney Princess' Theme Album this birthday. Was fun to add sparkles and flowers here and there. Added in the pictures for the client too again this year. I think it is easier to make an album with the pictures.

 I made 2 files with room for extra photos.

Special order painting....

I have finished the special order painting! I posted a picture a little while back , Hope is the thing with feathers...and had good response with it and sold it right away. 

A return client from here in town asked if I would paint another with that same quote but with a blue bird for her daughter. 

So I got busy and got this one done. Today she picked it up and she was totally pleased. turns out it is her daughters favorite color that I used! Weird how things work out!

Now im back to work on a special order album, I have a few more to make after that one as well, so will be posting pictures from that! I had to wait for a new sewing machine since mine decided to die , I have had it for over 10 years and I have sewn hundreds of projects on it. So I guess it was just done! The new one is really nice! 100 stitches, a Project Runway limited edition Brother sewing machine.  I love it. It runs so smoothly and quieter then my last one! ( also a brother)

Thanks for stopping by, I'll be back with some albums to show you in the days and weeks ahead. 

Art Caddy

So Im trying to pair down my supplies, so that I can fit them into a cabinat that I have and a dresser along with a desk. We are wanting to sell our house and Im trying to think small, knowing that what ever we get next , I may not have my own room. I have alot of markers and pens and pencils that I always have to dig for and I got the idea that I would make a caddy that would fit on my desk and i would be able to use them and they would be handy for me to get too. So I began my search on line to see what I could see. What I found was way out of my price range. I decided I would just make my own. Shane had brought this old wooden wall hanging magazine rack from the recycle center. Thinking that my scrapbook papers would fit into the slots. But they were not big enough and I really dont have room to hang anything either. So it sat on our porch for a while and when we had family come and it was rainy and our gutter get so full, Shane decided that the magazine rack would make a good bridge! lol It did for a time..until it started to break. So We put it in the garage to put it out for the clean up times our town has in the spring and fall. So knowing I didnt have much wood in the garage, I thought maybe I could use that magazine rack and recycle it into  my caddy.  So thats what I did.  I carefully took off the slats that were the section/shelves and I drew out my ends, the sides and the sections in between.( No pattern, just my vision in my head.)  The bottom is the back of the rack and the handle was the edge of the rack. It was a rusty red color, the rack..and scuffed up but I liked the rusticness of it. And was fine to leave it that way. But after looking at it for a while and thinking the color was an odd color and wouldnt really go with anything I had..So I decided (with an idea from a friend) to paint it like my paintings backgrounds like I do. So that it would be more my style. So I did. Luckily my son Luke had wanted to paint a wall in his room years back white so that he could paint a big tree on his wall...he never got it done so I used the white paint to paint my caddy. At first I was thinking on my word, what have I done...its so white...its no longer rustic...I may hate it.  I tried to calm myself and decided to wait till I added the splotches of paint.  By the way....I hate painting compartments in anything...moving on. I added my color and still wasnt totally sold on my caddy...but really no turning back. I let it dry all night and the next day I thought it needs a word....in my paintings I always include a quote of some sort, words what have you. So my caddy should have a word. I chose Inspired.  I love it. I like that i can just reach for my supplies right there on my desk and the brightness of it cheers me up and inspires me! And best of all....it was pretty much in my price limit....FREE. 

Hope is the thing with feathers.....

I started this painting a while ago and I just couldnt get the energy or motivation to get it done. I decided last night that today I would get back working on it and another painting I have to finish. So tonight I decided I was going to turn off my computer and work on it. I think I can call her done.  Hope seems to be my word for the year. I like the quote , Hope is the thing with feathers..It went with my idea to add a bird to the picture. I am not good with birds really. I have been making myself painting them though, to pus myself a bit. This bird may not be realistic  or an actual species..lol but its my bird!

This year has been very trying and I have found myself constantly talking to God. I find my hope in God always. So I find myself using the word "hope"in alot of my art, mixed media, journaling what have you. You just have to have 'hope'. Or whats the use right? 

This painting is done with acrylics, ink sprays, papers, washi tapes, pitt pens.  It is 12x16 in size.

Ill probably post it in my etys shop...and see if it sells. Lately I feel like I pay Etsy to have my art "viewed" not sold.  But there is always Hope.........

On a journal kick....

Been on a drawing kick. Obviously I need more practice..but like my big paintings, my faces always come with quotes...and things that are relivant to me during the time im drawing. The top page has the quote.."she always has that about her, that look of otherness,  of eyes that see things much too far, and of thoughts that wander off the edge of the world". I forgot to write down the author of it..but you can find it on pinterest. 

The second is inspired by jane davenport but mine looks nothing like hers...hers is soft and lovely, and mine..well we wont go there. lol Anyways the quote I wrote is "Someday everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confussion, smile through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that every thing happens for a reason."

I will keep working on my technique. I want to keep trying and trying to get more fluid and soft and what ever else its going to take!  I just know that doing these pages is so healing for me. Its the sharing my work, that gets a bit stressful...that is when i tend to be more hard on my self, thinking what "others" might think when they see it. Just have to stop that and remember im doing this for me... not for anyones approval.  

Happy Mail Project

Made this little happy mail for a friend. We exchange happy mail every month. So much fun. I had an altoid box so I decided to use it and make something cute. A few months ago she sent me a tin with a little pencil inside and papers and its to write down prayers. I loved that! So I wanted something on the same line for her.

I covered it with some cute papers, and printed out the words and modpodged them on. I will note that when working with paper and tins..I tend to sand the tins before adding the paper so that it will stick better! I didnt have a  little heart so i made this one out of masking tape and then mod podge news papers to it till it took on the shape of a heart. Added the word love to it. I had these crinkly papers that you use for gifts..and put tha tin the bottom of the tin and placed the heart on it. I think its so cute. I had found this cute leafy viney ribbon and wanted to use it on the edge  of the tin. 

Fun quick little project but from the heart. ( no pun intended!) lol 

Another entry in my "face journal"

Its been awhile since I added a face to my face journal. I saw a drawing of a girl on a ladies blog and I wanted to try my hand at her style. This is what I came up with and its not near as nice as hers!  Anyways thats not the purpose of my face journal..its really a journal I tend to go to when I'm feeling down, or having some emotion and I like to start to draw...sometimes I feel like I do my best drawing when Im an emotional mess. I have lived in the community that we live in now for aprox. 8 years. During that time I have tried to put myself out there and make friends..but to no avail. And I just hit bottom the other day and I have decided that I am done. So out came my journal to start drawing, and I may not be done. This is a big hurt and It may take me a few drawings to get over. When you see the quote about how ART heals your soul that is so true. I will have to say though that first God heals my soul and Art helps me deal. Seeing my post (I had posted on facebook a song that is called,  "a beautiful letdown" by switch foot..and that I was done) my long time friend whom I have not seen in a long time as we both have moved far apart, posted to me in a message the quote I used in this drawing.  I thought it was fitting and It touched my heart.  I will keep going...but it will be just for my family. I am done trying in this town and I will just accept it and pray that God will lead us on. Im ready. 

Thanks for stopping by maybe my next face and quote will be more inspirational and uplifting! 

Special Order "Frozen" Album/Tin

 Every year for the past 6 years actually I have had the privilege of making a birthday album for little miss Ava.  This years theme was "Frozen". Last fall when it was Ava's birthday we looked and looked for Frozen theme papers and could not find any, it was constantly sold out! Finally this year I found a big pack of papers in the frozen theme and we went with it! You can't really tell but the figures on the front are "fussy cut" and layered in 3 layers.  Lots of glitter snowflakes added, and letters/number.  I used a gelli roll stardust pen to add sparkle to Olaf and to Elsa's dress. 

 So I have been doing the albums with the pictures in hand. That way I can lay out the pages with a progression of the day . I machine stitch all of the pages, makes things more unique and durable. With this album you have to have lots of glitter!  (if you dont know..glitter is my enemy...I am a bit OCD..and glitter everywhere is sooooo flustrating to me! lol)I used Martha Stewarts ultra fine glitter. 

 I found some cute downloadable printables on etsy, in the Frozen theme.  I added some more gelli roll stardust pen to the snow and olaf on it to dress it up.  Its a flap so when you open it up as you see below it has the frozen song attached to the backside. 

 More fun printables of Olaf.  they are also flaps and when you lift them up , there are the fun pictures of Ava and her parents. 

 Large pull out tag with another picture of Ava, and lots of room for journaling about the day through out the album. 

 This was paper from the paper pack and I just cut around the image, and stuck paper behind it to strengthen it.  Added 2 large tags, with pictures of the decorations and cake. Thought it was fun to make it seem like Christof is singing Happy Birthday to Ava, so that is what I printed out for the opposite page.  Notice the pretty snowflake ribbon I used through out the album, I got it off of etsy as well. 

 I had some really pretty snowflake chipboard stickers so they were used in the album in certain places.  

 Another flap with Olaf on his trusty "steed" lol With a picture of more of her decorations from the day, with a picture of Anna, her favorite charactor on the other page . Under the page is a picture as well. 

 I thought I would do a bonus item for Lynn and Ava since we splurged on the paper, (we had ordered papers to work since we couldnt find actual frozen papers, then did...so since it was an added expense I wanted to make her something special and give her her moneys worth) I found the tin at the thrift store, love round tins with handles.  added the papers from the pack, modpodged it on. painted the edges. I will say too that before I do a tin, I always sand it all over. It seems to help the modpodge and paper stick way better. I also sand the fronts of my comp. books too before I modpodge and add papers. 

 So I added the snowflake ribbon all around, some pretty chipboard snowflakes, the printed images and some pretty ribbon to the handle. Its soft and fuzzy and just seemed to go with the theme. And the big snowflake ribbon bow. That coordinates with the album as I used it in that as well. 

 inside of the tin was covered too (and the bottom) and I thought it was fun to add Olof to the lid saying HI AVA!

I had mailed the album and tin separate as I didnt have a box that would fit them both.  So off they went to Ava. The album showed up just fine and on time, but no box with the tin...next day it shows up, like this! crushed! Ava and Lynn were heart broken, as was I...im so mad! what the heck, they had to of ran over it! So Ill be back to square one on the tin...will keep my eye out for one at the thrift. I have filed a claim with the post office , will see what happens. Disheartening.  Never have I had this happen before. (apparently writing FRAGILE on the package, means run me over in postoffice jargin! ) lol I guess I will have to just "let it go" haha...sorry had to put that in there. 

Sorry its been awhile since I have posted. Hope to get my mojo back and start posting more things! Thanks for stopping by!