Quiet Contemplation

Dani, my oldest, is a thinker. She really contemplates life on a deeper level than most 9 year olds. (She takes after her wise father in this regard.) I wanted to document this personality trait so I created this layout.

Supplies: Donna Salazar papers, background paper is my own design, Shimmerz Spritz, tulle, trims, American Crafts Thickers, embroidery floss

You may or may not recognize the paper cloth background that I made ages ago on this video. I finally used it! But not before I toned down the colors with a wash of white gesso. I wanted to use it as-is, but the black and white picture was completely lost with the raucous of background color.

I tried something new when I tied a big piece of tulle to the page and added my journaling to a tag. It didn't quite turn out the way I had envisioned, but I still like it.

Believe it or not, that jewel is actually paper. Donna Salazar is the manufacturer. Isn't it beautiful? (This layout was originally part of my Donna Salazar review on The Scrap Review. 

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany 

The Girls

My friend Sara Jarvie is an amazing photographer. I love it when she takes pics of our family because I actually appear in them! She took this photo of the girls last year. I love the richness of the colors.

Supplies: Donna Salazar papers, Shimmerz Shimmerz, American Crafts Thickers, Ranger Grungeboard, black fabric, tulle, staples, ink, bling jewels, trims, small stick

This layout originally appeared on The Scrap Review as part of my Donna Salazar review.

I loved personalizing the background paper using Shimmerz products. To me, personalizing papers is extremely satisfying. I simply don't like having the same papers as everyone else in the universe. In fact, when a paper line is too popular and I start to see it everywhere, it turns me completely off. (I know, I'm crazy like that.)

These flowers are extremely easy to make and really cute. I'm going to have to create a video for you. I love making flowers!

On a completely unrelated note, I've read a few good books lately that I'd like to share. The first one was a historical fiction account of the Vel d'Hiv. Haven't heard of it? Neither had I before I read this book. In July 1942, the French police rounded up thousands of Jews in Paris and transported them to concentration camps. It was a horrific act that has been basically forgotten (repressed). Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay is a fascinating book written in short chapters that any busy mother can read in a few minutes. It is a perfect book for those times that you are waiting in the car or sitting outside a small child's bedroom to verify that he doesn't sneak out of his big bed. I wouldn't say that this book is uplifting. In fact, it is quite sad. Not so sad that I shed tears, but more hauntingly sad. It made me think a lot. It made me grateful for my family and for my freedom. In my opinion, it is a well done book that everyone should read.

The second book, Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Halloway is another must read. This book isn't as heavy as Sarah's Key, but it will open your eyes to the difficult situation of women in West Africa. I have always been fascinated by French speaking West Africa. In fact, I tailored my Master's program so that I could specialize in West African literature by women in French. (Go ahead and say that three times fast.) This book is a biography of sorts. Perhaps more a memoir? As the title suggests, the main character is Monique, the sole mid-wife and health care worker in a small village in Mali. Written by a peace-corp volunteer that became her good friend after serving with her for 2 years, it is honest, simply written, non-judgmental and fascinating. Even though there is heartache interwoven throughout, the general feeling that I had after reading it was empowering and uplifting. Another great read.

Happy Reading!

xoxo
Bethany

Farewell Blog Hop

Welcome to my blog! What a feast for the eyes this My Little Shoebox Blog Hop has been! The design team is so talented. It has been an honor to be included among them this past year.

Even though I've thoroughly enjoyed my time working with My Little Shoebox, I decided not to renew my contract for another year. I would like to focus more on teaching, publishing and expanding my artistic repertoire. As you can imagine, each of these things requires an abundance of time and energy. I'm excited for all the opportunities that are waiting for me to seize!

I'd like to bid a fond farewell to a wonderful company with a few of my favorite projects. Love you MLS!

Without further ado...

(Cape Cod Moments appeared recently in Somerset Memories.)

Whew, you made it to the end of my photos! Congrats!

Now, if you'd like to be entered into my own personal giveaway, please leave a comment with your favorite color of MLS Sprinkle Glaze Alphas. I will randomly choose a winner on Monday and will do my bestest to send you your favorite color. Good luck!

Now on to the GRAND PRIZE! It is only a blog away! Hop on over to Pattie Beltran's blog.

Pursue Big Dreams

Yesterday, the MLS DT appeared again on Pencil Lines! Yeah! Make sure you check out all the beautiful layouts. I'm always blown away by the designers on that blog!

I created Pursue Big Dreams, Not Small Realities using the sketch. The photo I used is from an impromptu photo shoot that Dani and I did for each other.

Materials: MLS papers and mini alpha stickers, bling, Petaloo flowers, text paper, unknown ribbon

This flower was a failed experiment for my Flower class. However, it worked beautifully on this layout. I was inspired by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer with the sewn pattern paper swirls.

My journaling was done on a failed ATC/paint experiment.

The butterflies were made by adhering punched out butterflies onto metal wire. For once, a successful experiment!

Have a great day!

xoxo
Bethany

First Hair Cut

About a week ago, I needed to create, just for the sake of creating. So, I made First Hair Cut with some Bella Blvd papers that I received from Helen at MLS.

These papers are so easy to work with that this layout came together in about an hour. Even with all the fussy cutting!

Materials: Bella Blvd papers, MLS chipboard letters, black pen, sewing machine

You can see that big grin on that cute girl's face. She loved every second of her first hair cut!

A few close-ups...

I even included a small piece of hair from Lyssie's first cut.

It felt so good just to create something fun! Oh, and check out the Love My Tapes blog as someone you may know appeared there this week. (giggle) Seriously though, I'm loving their double-sided adhesive and I used it on the layout above (as well as just about every layout I've completed in the last 2-3 months!)

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

My Studio

I have a quote journal and while I was searching for quotes for a mini-book project, I found this one that I wanted to share with you today.

Art expresses all that is best in us: our hopes, our desires, our truth. And so art changes, but it doesn't get better.  --Sister Wendy Beckett

On that vein, here is a layout that I recently finished for My Little Shoebox using a picture of my studio: where I do art. It is always very very messy. Almost embarrassingly messy. It certainly would not grace the pages of Where Women Create, but great things happen here. And I like it. A lot.

I have very fond memories of this particular day when every one of my sweeties worked alongside me in my studio. I remember thinking that heaven couldn't be any better than this.

What a great day.

Juggling

The men in my family have a wonderful gift for juggling. I remember as a young child, my father frequently picking up 3 pieces of fruit and juggling them. (Much to our delight!) Now, my brothers have inherited that fun trait and they too will pick up fruit (always fruit) and juggle for my babies. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit that cool trick. Bummer.

My friend, Sara Jarvie, took this shot during an impromptu family talent show. (Things like that happen a lot around here.)

Materials: Patterned paper (MLS); Shimmerz Spritz; letters (MLS); Misc: pens, ink, sewing, edge distresser

On this layout, I experimented with adding a banner. (Something that I've never done before even though I love how it looks). I like it. It's a great way to use up little scraps and create an interesting spot on a project.

I've been using Love My Tapes adhesive on my layouts lately and really like them! They sent a bunch of adhesive to the MLS DT and I'm so grateful. Thank you!

Have a great day!

xoxo

Bethany

Cool Cats

A few years ago, I happened upon a little elf stealing food from the pantry, I couldn't figure out the identity of this elf because she was wearing shades...

Materials: Patterned paper (MLS); pens (Sakura); flowers (Petaloo); Vibez, Spritz and Shimmerz (Shimmerz Paints); Misc: ribbon, mask, seed beads, colored pencils

I've been waiting a long time to scrap these pictures and finally, the Lil' Critters line from My Little Shoebox inspired me. Along with a few Petaloo flowers that I painted with Shimmerz in Magenta then sprayed with Grape Escape Vibez to get the right color.

I was inspired to use purple on this layout (a color that I NEVER use) because of something that my momma told me. She said that she read about an artist who purposely incorporated a color that she didn't like into her work so that she could be more neutral in her assessment of her design. By incorporating a color that she doesn't like, she automatically became less personally involved in her work and she can become a better critic of her own project. Interesting idea, no?

So I did just that. I put some purple in. What is unexpectedly funny is that I ended up enjoying my purple. In fact, I really like it. Somehow in the addition of purple flowers, I made peace with that color. I'm not sure how.

Which brings me to my challenge to you...incorporate a color that you don't normally use in your next project. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how this addition changed your work. Make sure you leave me a comment with a link so I can visit.

By the way...I'd like to thank Sakura for sending me the gel pens that I used to make my title. I love Sakura pens! Thank you!

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

Lil' Robots

My newest review of My Mind's Eye Lil' Robots is up at The Scrap Review. Here are my cute projects.

These came together so quickly that I was amazed. (A sign of a good paper line, I'd say.)

The first one is Smile with your Eyes Shut and for the background I first did a quick swipe of gesso, then I used a The Crafter's Workshop template with Shimmerz Vibez in denim. Next. I layered patterned papers until I was happy. I finished with a quick swipe of black paint to give it a border.

Materials: Cardstock (Bazzill Basics); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye); brads (My Mind's Eye); ribbon (My Mind's Eye); chipboard letters: (American Crafts); Misc: The Crafter's Workshop Template, Shimmerz Vibez (denim); gesso, acrylic paint, black pen, adhesive 

 

My next layout, Cute Visor, is my favorite because of all the die cuts that I used. I love how it appears that I layered billions of bolts. My momma took these pictures around the time I was having knee surgery last year. I can't believe how much my baby has grown. (Don't we all say that? All the time?)

Materials: Patterned Paper (My Mind's Eye); brads (My Mind's Eye); ribbon (My Mind's Eye); chipboard letters (American Crafts); Misc: acrylic paint, pen, adhesive

 

 

 

And finally, my card. I wouldn't consider myself a great card-maker, but this one came together quickly and painlessly.

Materials: Cardstock (Bazzill Basics); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye); brads (My Mind's Eye); sticker (SRM Stickers); Misc: pen, ink

 

You can read my entire review here. Plus, leave a comment and you'll be entered for a giveaway for the entire line. (Trust me, if you have little boys, it is a must have.) Hurry over!

Have a great Monday!

xoxo

Bethany

New Projects with My Little Shoebox

Hello! I'm not sure what happened to the last week because I seem to have disappeared somewhere. Luckily, I'm back now.

It's been a little while since I shared a project so I thought that I'd just jump right in and share a few new My Little Shoebox(es). 

I did the first one with pieces from many lines. (My favorite way to scrap!) The picture is of Todd's father holding baby Quinney. Grandad has such a great way with babies. He is so calm that he just soothes them every time. I admire that trait...being a not-calm-sort-of-person. (It is desperately hard for me to sit still or focus on one task at a time.)

Materials: My Little Shoebox papers, letter stickers; Maya Road journaling tag

Here is a close-up of my journaling.

My next project is a card that I made using the All a Flutter line. I love those butterflies! I also used some Shimmerz Blingz to add a bit of glam.

Materials: My Little Shoebox pattern papers, Shimmerz Blingz, colored pencil and pen

Here is a close-up so you can see the dimension. This is one of my favorite things to do with butterflies...adhere only the body part and let the wings fly.

Have a great day!

xoxo
Bethany

Queen of the Bricks

One of the best toys that Santa ever brought was a few sets of jumbo cardboard bricks. They are about 9 inches long and 4 inches wide and they support up to 200 pounds per brick. They are tough and oh so fun.

I did this layout of my sister to commemorate these cool dude bricks. I used the new All a Flutter line by My Little Shoebox because the reds matched perfectly.

Materials: My Little Shoebox papers, stickers; Maya Road ribbon; Heidi Swapp crown stamp; StazOn ink; gesso; uniball signo pen

Here's a close-up so you can see the embellishment cluster. The red felt flower was made by Pattie from My Little Shoebox. So cute!

This layout may look complicated, but it actually came together very quickly. The flowers and butterfly are so big that they take up a lot of space. A few smaller embellishments helped round out the design.

If you love My Little Shoebox products, like I do. They are having a Design Team call right now! Take a leap and try out! If you have never been on a DT before, but would like to be, I'd be happy to answer any questions that you might have. I did address DT suggestions in this post. (Keep in mind that I wrote this post 100 years ago so it is terribly out-of-date.)

As for the Artistic Mothers group. I am officially 3 weeks behind. What happened? Life. I had family in town. I've been working on projects for various Somerset calls. I am in the process of reorganizing my studio and for some reason school stuff (for the sweeties) has become almost all-encompassing. We are just very busy. I'm planning on catching up soon. Very soon. I just need to find a few seconds to sit down and create.

On a happier note, in the next few months, I will be teaching 4 different mixed-media technique classes at Scrapbooks Etc., in Mesa, AZ! You can see a brief description of my classes as well as dates and times on my sidebar. These classes are going to be a bit different than the standard class because we won't be working on one project to take home. We'll be practicing techniques that you can incorporate into your work. Hence the name: Technique Arsenal. You'll come away from my classes with new knowledge, creative spirit and super-charged to get to work! I'm really excited! If you live in the AZ area, I'd love to see you there!

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

Messy Bessy

Lately I've felt the desire for simple in my scrapbook layouts. It could be because I've been taking on bigger more time-intensive mixed-media projects. I'm not sure, but last week I sat down with the very cute new line All a Flutter by My Little Shoebox and came up with Messy Bessy.

My friend, Sara Jarvie (my family photographer) took this pic of E. I love it.

Materials: Bazzil cardstock, My Little Shoebox papers and sticker letters, Uniball signo pen, Prismacolor pencils

To make this layout, I simply punched out circles of pattern paper, adhered them in two very straight lines. (I even used a ruler.) I added the heart, butterfly and flower for dimension and interest. A little doodling to balance out the black of the title finish it off. Very simple. Exactly what I wanted.

This week I have family visiting for Spring Break so I'm going to spend every free moment I have with them and take the rest of the week off of blogging. I'll be back again next week.

Have a great week!

xoxo
Bethany