Itty Bitty Passion....

I have a passion, an itty bitty passion, to create...it is calming to my soul. The smaller the project, the more I like it, as I know I will finish it.
Today I decided to make an ART Journal for myself. My daughter, Melissa, has made a few, you can check out one here. They are such a great idea to be able to create and try new techniques and keep it safe in a book. I made a couple of pages today.....and can't wait to make more.

Lil' Jarmon's Memory Journal

As I said in my previous post, our grandson's 1st Birthday is on Monday. Tomorrow we will have a grand celebration....lots of family and friends will be there to join us. My two daughters and I spent 7 hours today preparing food. Danielle, the mother of Jarmon, decided she wanted to make homemade cupcakes for her son's 1st birthday. Do you know how much time it takes to make 3 batches of homemade cupcakes and to frost them with homemade frosting? That's 72 cupcakes!! The flavors of the cupcakes are unique, cherry limeade, strawberry lemonade, and oreo cupcakes. (my daughter watches way to much of "Cupcake Wars"). Either way the cupcakes are delicious....and do taste so much better than those made from a box. After preparing the cupcakes we made up meat and cheese trays, veggie and fruit trays, artichoke and spinach dip too. So it made for a long day, but we had fun hanging out together. Well to get back to what the real reason of my post was...it was to show you another new journal I made. This one is to re-count the fabulous year we have had with this lil blessing . This one consists of 20 pages, 10 pockets, each holding a tag, and 32 pictures. Each tag is annotated with special things that happened through out the year, ie...1st tooth, 1st steps, favorite toys, etc....

If you are new to my blog, welcome and thank you. I have many of my creations up for sale in my etsy shop. You can check out my etsy shop here.

A year of mini scrapbooks.....

Today has been a busy day. My grandson turns one on Monday, so I have been working on mini scrapbooks to show his 1st year. There are 12 mini scrapbooks for each month of 2010. Each scrapbook consists of 3 pockets, one each on the inside of front and back cover and one pocket in the middle. Each pocket holds at least one tag, which photos are attached to. The front cover is stamped with the month and photos added accordingly. I altered a box that I had saved awhile ago....not knowing then how handy it would be today. The box neatly holds all the mini scrapbooks.

Ribbon Organization

Today I decided to organize my ribbon. Up until today my loose ribbon was thrown in a glass container and a plastic bag. I am a visual person....I need to see my stuff, if I don't than I forget I even have it. I took balsa wood pieces & shims I had in my closet, ( a project I am sure I had every intentions of completing) and wound my ribbon around it. What started out a tangled nightmare, turned out to be a well organized container of ribbon, now on my art table to use when it is needed.

Snow Day! It's time to be Creative!

It's a snow day here on the eastern coast of North Carolina. We don't get much snow...and when we do the whole area closes down. Since we are cooped up here I decided to get creative and work in my art studio. I decided today that is what I will be calling my craft room from now on...an art studio just breathes inspiration doesn't it? I came across a box of clear pages that hold baseball cards as I was packing up the last of my Christmas decorations....and I thought..hey these would make great holders to store the shipping tags I hand stamp for my travel journals.







They are perfect, as I can see the front of the tags, and also can flip the page over and see what I stamped on the back, if anything. So I hand stamped over 50 tags....they are simple ones, but hopefully inspire who ever gets my travel journals to write down quick easy thoughts. I am not the "Queen" of tag making...my daughter Melissa is though, and you should really check out her blog here. Her work is fabulous!!



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"Up-cycled" Travel Journal

Today was another productive day creating. I have been so busy making travel journals for other people, I thought it was time I started making them for myself. Hopefully 2011 will be a year full of journeys for my husband and I. Last week my daughter and I hit the thrift stores in search of those fabulous finds....we are on this kick of buying old books and repurposing...or "upcycle-ing" them. Needless to say we came across lots of books to use in making our journals. I love the cloth cover of this book and the design on the front of the mountains and a pine tree. This makes for a perfect journal for me to use either in April when my husband and I will be hitting the mountains of western North Carolina....or when we make our trip to Maine this summer. This book is huge compared to my 5x7 travel journals I usual make....it measures 10 1/4 inches by 6 1/2 inches. It is perfect as each page hold two 4x6 photos if that is what I chose to put on them, and it even allows for some journaling. The book is bound using my "bind it all' book binder and recycled rings from a book I bought at a flea market. I love how it turned out, and I can't wait to go on vacation to use it. :-)

"Me & You" Travel Journal

Today I spent several hours creating a travel journal for a dear friend's daughter. Her daughter is getting married next month and for a wedding gift I decided I would make one of my journals that the couple can take on their honeymoon. Several pages are hand stamped, a mix of travel themes and "love" themes. The papers I used was K&Company Urban collection......the couple will be honeymooning in St. Lucia and these papers have a tropical theme to them along with that distressed vintage feel that I love.

Old World themed Travel Journal

I continue to make these travel journals....I love the old world theme covers. Thanks to my flea market fine this summer, an old atlas, the book was damaged but I was able to salvage these beautiful pages of an old world map. I was able to make 8 of these themed albums....and I only have 4 left. As you can imagine I will be on the lookout for more of these old books. You can check more of my creations here.

Travel Journals/Memory Books

It has been forever since I posted a blog...I am still here and haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Been busy working on projects for my etsy shop. I am addicted to making these 5x7 Travel Journals/Memory Books. Here are a few that I have made....you can check them out in my Etsy shop here: The first journal posted I made using the October Afternoon papers I got in my Santa Sack that I purchased in December. Love that paper! The other three travel journal covers were made using an old atlas I picked up from a flea market this summer. I love the "old world" theme.