Brainstorming Blogging Ideas.

Deedee is here visiting me, and she brought a bunch of goodies she's been working on.  Scrapbook papers and bling to put on her etsy site.  She's been working on a Vintage Tag - How-to.  So, we looked at that post in process today, and looked at how to add captions to photos, how to add buttons on the side of the blog, etc.  She's flipping through the wonderful book by Tara Frey, Blogging for Bliss.  It has so many ideas, for finding your voice in blogging.  Oh, how fun it is to daydream with Deedee.  What a wonderful way to start the day.

Deedee reading Blogging for Bliss, surrounded by Starbucks, new scrapbook goodness, and Ipod Touch.

Magic in the making... what I found on Deedee's island this morning

OK, this is just too cool.  The book in the background with the how-to's is called Mixed-Media Mosaics by Laurie Mika.

Look at all this new product!!!  Beautiful!!!!
This portrait of Jacob is just waiting to be beautified.

Seriously now, this is what was on Deedee's kitchen island this morning!  This is magic in the making!

My favorite kind of gifts...

Isn't this tag awesome? I love it so much. Not to brag or anything, but Deedee brought me this and an Americano when she came to craft with me. She does amazing things with alcohol inks don't you think? I'm going to have to use this tag on a page... and when I do, I'll make sure and post a picture of it. Handmade gifts are my very favorite kind.  With the weather changing, I'm all excited about fall colors, making things cozy, and making handmade gifts.  What have you been making lately, do share!!!

My Friend

I made this page to celebrate my friendship with Linda. I used some fun new stamps on this page. (pictured above). To bring in all the colors I love, I hand colored glossy paper with alcohol inks. I used it to cut out the words "My Friend" and to make the flowers. I am making more of these flowers for our Etsy shop as they've become my favorite bling!

A good day for a "Journal Spilling" adventure...

This morning I had to try out some of my new scrapbook supplies.  I started by looking through my new Journal Spilling book and gathering materials.  I found a piece of cardboard in the recycle pile, pulled out my new Tim Holtz inks, watercolor crayons, some bright page marker stickers, and colored staples, and then I started playing.  I worked quickly and started experimenting with the supplies.  When I was done, all my beautiful inks matched the new Tim Holtz paper stack that I bought and so I put my cardboard collage on one of my new papers and photographed it.  Then to make it personal, I pulled in a photo of Emma over the top in photoshop and voila.  Here's my creative "journal spilling" adventure.  I'm loving these new colors and inks, especially the distress inks.  They are super fun.  Now I've got to call Deedee, so we can get together and experiment!

Inspiring Books we picked up today!!!

The first one is called Journal Spilling - Mixed Media Techniques for Free Expression by Diana Trout.

The second book is called Image Transfer Workshop - Mixed-Media Techniques For Successful Transfers by Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson. 

Oooh they are so super inspiring.  We can't wait to try out all the new techniques.  Super duper excited.

Today scrappage began....

What a great day.  Deedee Garcia and Angela Meijer (hereafter "we") were having a garage sale over at Deedee's house.  We decided to make collages and art journals at the garage sale, and got to creative brainstorming.  We were selling a bunch of scrapbook embellishments and collage cards, and we decided that we seriously need an etsy shop to sell all of our scrapbook and collage goods.  We've been getting together to do creative stuff together, and so we decided that we should start selling it all too.  The name of our shop is a combination of scrap, page and collage.... and it's pronounced the French way.  That way, you can hear the collage part of the name!  Spread the word and come back and visit lots and lots.  We plan to keep it full of all kinds of goodies and we'll photograph our creative sessions too.  We're going to fill our shop with supplies for your own creations, fun collage/scrappage artwork, and lots and lots of bling.

After our garage sale, we went to the scrapbook store in here in Ankeny, and spent our garage sale earnings on new arts and craft supplies.  Fun Fun Fun.