Recycled Mini Lap Book

I finally finished this mini lap book, which I made from cardboard packaging and scrap papers. I hope next time it doesn't take me so long to finish!

YPP 2014 Mini Album Round Robin

My favorite of all swaps to do, are the round robin mini album swaps over on Your Paper Pantry. They changed their method a while ago to swapping only pages, so I stopped - but then they started up - sharing the entire albums...so I'm back in the swing. Here's my album that I created - and shipped off ... I can't wait to see it in the fall!

Soul Food 2014 - What A Journey So Far - Lesson 1

Sometimes, the best way for me to shake off the doldrums creatively, is to step far outside my comfort zone and embrace other forms of art.

Mystele's Soul Food 2014 art course is just the ticket. Though I've been sidelined with severe bronchitis, I've been able to play catch up and enjoy the ride with Mystele, Heather, Jeanette and their merry band of sous chefs on this artful journey.

Lesson 1 with Mystele

This lesson called for a gelli plate - which I do not have, nor do I have the money to purchase one ... but I do have an old acrylic mousepad that is almost the exact consistency of the popular gelli plate:

Wasn't sure how I'd like it, but I was able to complete my first lesson ... a little rusty, not as good as Mysteles - but it was fun!

Bringing In The New Year with My Marion Smith Day Planner for 2014

Hello All! So much trouble with Blogspot these past months - I am happy to be back online and able to post! I am so happy to have finally gotten a chance to make something fun - yet useful for myself, taking me into 2014 ...here is Part One and Part Two of my Marion Smith Day Planner. Enjoy the videos - and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

When I Am in A Creative Slump ... I Do Something Else Creative

I have been in a creative slump for a couple of months now ... not even wanting to sketch. It happens - and people always ask me what do I do when I hit a wall ... and for me - I do something else creative. Crocheting, Knitting...and these days - just simple scrapping. Nothing fancy - no mixed media masterpieces ... just simple scrapping.

To boost myself along, I decided not to scrap alone either! LOL

Tiare Smith, the creator of Scraps of Color was introducing a club - the Creative Circle - ..and the most attractive part to me since funds are so tight - was the payment plan option - so I hopped on it.

Here is what I have done so far this week...and I feel the creative juices beginning to flow again.

Quick and Easy ...and Cheap - Recycled Packing Boxes

Hello Everyone! School is finally out here in Northern Virginia, the weather is breaking .... and I am in a cleaning mood. For me, it's not just the clutter I see ...it's the fact I have nothing to put things in - and my space and funds are limited.

Previously, I'd begun to purchase the Rubbermaid tubs and plastic drawers when they were on sale ... but even a good sturdy set of plastic drawers - is still between 15-25.00 ... and I don't know about you - but that van still put a dent in my pocket, considering I need a lot of storage options!

Soooo ... the other week I was inspired to try something with some Amazon boxes I was getting ready to cut down and put away (I can't seem to throw away a good cardboard box!). I'd been in Target, and saw some funky shelf liners ... and I figured - why not? The worst that could happen was I make a mess of it ... and I'd throw it in the bottom of a closet somewhere. Though what I REALLY wanted, was some inexpensive - but nice looking storage boxes that I could keep out, hide my clutter in plain sight, so to speak.

Gather Your Supplies:

Grip Prints by Contact - 5.24 per roll

Scotch White Glue - 4.79

Scissors

Get a Sturdy Box:

It only took 20 minutes, and not a lot of cutting to glue the shelf liner to the box...and VOILA!!

Now, I'm keeping my boxes simple ... . because I am going to stack them on bookshelves, on top of each other in corners, etc ... so I want them to all look uniform - and remain stackable....but you see where I'm going? I'm not spending a lot of money ... I'm using what I already have - and the shelf liner is a lot sturdier - at least to me - than the regular contact paper. Also - it's not so fancy that I am afraid to "mess it up" ... but in the end... it is for storage.

Hope this helps someone out there ... because if you have ever looked at the nice storage options - they still are a little pricey ... and life is too short to spend all your money ...for anything!!!...Enjoy the rest of your week.

Twenty Minute Scrappy Box

Seems as if I am always running late ... and this weekend was no exception. I had a baby shower to attend - and realized that I'd forgotten to buy a gift bag.

Soooo...down to my creative space I went, to pull something together - Quick, Fast and In-A-Hurry.

Good thing? I always have basecoated paper mache boxes on hand. I started with a base coated paper mache box:

Looked through my scraps to see what I had ... and pulled out an old pack from the defunct ScrapGoods Kit club:

Using my Fiskar cutter, I cut plain 12x12 pieces cardstock to size and glued them to the sides of the box, using Scotch glue:

After all 4 sides of the box were covered, I took smaller squares of patterned paper and glued right on top of the larger squares.

Once the sides were done, I took washi tape and adhered to the cover:

Then, using the same technique as the box - I completed the top of the box:

I put the goodies inside, closed with ribbon - and I was done!