My favorite things

Just what I needed!

Well it has been a very trying April.  Lets just not go there with the complaining and woe is me stuff:)  I am gonna take this post and turn it around before I go down that road.Today me and Will went to the Tim Burton exhibit at the MoMa(it ends on April 26th)  IT was beyond words, being able to be surrounded by one of your all time favorite artists/ story tellers.  It was like being a kid in a candy store!!!  Of course I could not take pictures, boo, but I was able to capture one image of Large Marge's eyeballs from Pee Wee's big Adventure(on my Black berry, stealth mode) 

I did take other images throughout the rest of the museum and will hopefully share with you soon.  I left the museum feeling very inspired, especially by Tim Burton. 

(not my image)

When it comes to art museums though, I am more of a Met goer then The Museum of Modern art.  I love Renaissance art, I love the masters and all the mystery that lies within their paintings.  I mean I do love a good modern artist and I am big on impressionism which was considered the beginning of modern art(yada yada yada, I did retain some information from those early morning Art History classes at F.I.T)  Anywho, we saw some Pollock and Warhol, Matisse and Van Gogh, it was all good.  Nothing like a good modern art museum visit once in awhile:)On to other things.  Me and my friend are currently putting together a crop here on Long Island, so if you are reading this and you are in the NY Tri-state are, feel free to contact me on the details.  It will be located within a hotel here on Long Island and will run from 9am to 12am, June 19th.  Should be a great time with some raffles benefiting the MS society.

Ok, so I was tagged by sweet, sweet Danielle! 

Here goes:

10 things that make me happy, lets dig deep here, hehe.

1. Being on the verge of summer and all of the wonderful things planned that come with it.  Camping, BBQs, touristy trips into the city with Will, the BEACH!!! weekend vacations, lots of iced coffee............just to name a few.

2. Going away this weekend to Shelter Island and spending some time with a friend I have not spent time with in a very long time.  For those of you who do not know, Shelter island is here:

(P.S that is the end of Long Island, the mouth of the fish)

3. Planning future adventures...........New Hampshire in a few weeks for CKC, PA this summer for an antique trip, MEHICO in Octoberish to see Cococrispiechoco momma:) lol, and of course a cruise with Miss Perry!!!!

4. A new sketchbook and art supplies purchased yesterday.

5. Skipping the regular lamp in our room every night and living off of white Christmas lights, so much nicer.

6. Wearing this very fun owl ring every day.

I tried to find it for you all(the link) I got it at Urban Outfitters and it is called the "Miss Selfridge Teal Plastic owl ring"

7. This song:

 

8.  Attempting to grow my hair out and actually seeing it get there, long enough to braid:)

9. Consuming book after book after book!!  Right now I am reading this one:

 
I am swallowed up in it!

10. Re-discovering Sabrina Ward Harrison

as well as Robert Rauschenberg

Which is all making me want to do some more mixed media collage work:)

And that's all folks!

I tag Cynthia, Beth and Dani!!!

Thrown back into reality.

After living in a land of bright colors and  magical places, we are home and have been home for oh, about a week now!  After I got home I worked a very long day, caught a minor cold, spent the weekend with my family for Easter, went back to work, developed a horrible toothache, kept on working, and now I am off  today(finally a day off) and suffering with a sore throat.  The wonders of Patty:)  April is just one of those non stop months, packed full of birthdays and planned weekend trips.  So as you can see that's pretty much all I have been up to, not a lick more.  Hopefully soon, hopefully soon.    

 

M.I.A

That is where I have been. I am taking a break from the whole world wide web.  I am taking a break from scrap booking, creating, anything related to  that.  Mostly because I am just a bit caught up in travel plans and that is all that has been on my mind as of lately.  I am also pretty much dry in the crafty department and in times like this, I just like rolling with the flow until the rain comes. So that's where I stand. 

Aside from the trip planning, we spent some fun time with friends.  We did it up St. Patrick style and attended the Hampton Bay's parade(Guinness at 10 a.m, its chock full of vitamins) The weather was awesome, and it allowed us to bbq and spend some time on my friend's dock behind her house.  It really made me want summer even more. 

So this Friday, tomorrow, me and Will will be flying out to FL.  Four whole days of sunshine:)  It has been pretty nice here in NY, but yesterday the temps dropped once again and the wind kicked up and I was so not loving it, ready for that humid, warm air.   We have all four days jam packed(just like Clark Griswold would have liked)

(explicit language for the kiddos)

Except we are on a pilgrimage to see a mouse! hahaha.
Ok, well I am off to pack and then paint my nails, and then bed!

Be back shortly:)

Spring is in the air.

So I am thinking of light airy colors, open windows, bike rides again and most of all, some small traveling.I have things I really want to accomplish this spring/summer or acquire.For one, I need to update my tattoo on my left forearm.  Its just a black silhouette of a swallow on a branch, but to me it is very dark and gloomy.  I get so many comments referring to Edgar Allen Poe, not what I wanted at all.  
(The only photo I can find that shows my bird tattoo ever so slightly)

So when I was up at the place I usually get tattooed, we went over options.  Color, as in a night sky, but a dusk like sky with purples and light blues.  Some outlines of stars and perhaps some blossoms on the branch, I like the way it all sounds.  Then as I am thinking of tattoos, I am thinking of a new one(yikes, no more, no more)  I think a Rob Ryan inspired tattoo would be so interesting and beautiful.

One step at a time.  Touch ups and add on first.
Now I have been dreaming of prettier, more stylish camera bags!!!  Came across this great site, Epiphanie..........I love the teal one!!  I like the color, I love the long messenger bag like strap it has, and most of all, its not black and icky.  This will be a splurge this Spring for sure.  Now one cool thing that is going on over at their blog is that they are having a very big giveaway.  You have two prizes to choose from, one would be a brand new Canon 5D Mark or $2500 in Southwest airline bucks to use to fly anywhere, hmmmmm, which one would you choose??  I think I would choose the Southwest bucks so that I could fly place, which would scratch off some small travel off of my list:)  
Well, that's about it for now.  Tomorrow is St. Patty's day, so happy green to all! I will be going to my parents for some traditional fare also a parade this weekend, pictures to follow.

Now I wanted to leave you with a song that has been like my anthem this past month.  I just don't know what it is about this month, its been a downer.  Here is to more blue skies;)

(Pardon the biscuit ad in the beginning)

Thinking of a title.

That is how my mind has been working lately, just thinking of a title.  I have not a thought in the world, my mind is so not focusing in on anything.  Perhaps that is just odd, or I am just way overwhelmed with so much that I cannot focus in on just one thing, and at this moment one of those things would be a title, haha. At the moment I am enjoying Troop Beverly Hills, Jenny Lewis was so very young in this one. 

You had to have loved this movie, especially if you were a Girl Scout yourself(which I was, for about 7 years) I remember watching this over and over again with my friends, this and Lady Bugs.

A classic I tell you.It is so very rainy out, and windy. It woke me right out of bed, now after eating some breakfast, I ready to go back to sleep but we have a day planned ahead of us.  A visit out to my family for dinner and hopefully a fire, it is windy and cold so one might be in order.

Ok, in the creating department I have not been scrapping much, but I got out of control with making paper garland.  Much of which I hung up on our ceiling in our bedroom and a whole set of which will be sent to my buddy Danielle so that she can hang it up in her new casa:)

Now I have oh about 100 sheets of scrap with huge circles cut out of them.It becomes very addicting:)

On Wednesday I played tourist after we went to the class for the child I take care of.  The school is pretty close to Washington Square so we spent about an hour there, I took some pictures of her(which I will not share, I sent them to her mom) and then I just took a few of this and that.

Well last but not least, some of The Smiths.

For some reason they happen to put me in a Spring mood, yes, sad bad relationship lyrics and all.

A very important date.

Hmmmmmmm, I should not be posting this because its a gift for someone, but I just wanted to share it.  I made  this for a very close friend of mine who is turning thirty and well, that all of the details I should go into.  We will just say it involves Alice in Wonderland.  I will talk more about it later, but for now lets share!

This is it in its frame.  It is basically a collage in which I used a photo I had from Central Park of the Alice in Wonderland statue, it was a perfect fit.  I just played around with some fun bright colors, painting, glimmer misting and using the sewing machine once again.  It was all just a big experiment and I think it came out just how I sort of envisioned it:)

The frame was trouble from the start. I wanted something that had a door that would open up and you could open the door and look at the details.  Well I found the perfect one at Michaels for $10 and on the way home from the store I got on the wrong subway and got off and transferred to the right one.  While waiting for the train, the handle on my bag broke and the frame broke, boo.  I was so bummed, but thanks to a spare piece of glass from another old frame, I was able to replace it!

I used the Hambly I have been hoarding, the lime green woodgrain paper in the background, Butterfly paper behind the polaroid.

Here it is with the door open.  I used your photo tip Cynthia:) Thank you.

Now I cannot wait to gift it to her!!!

Before I go, there is a new interview up at The Little Red suitcase.  Tina from Life Love paper did a little Q & A which is very insightful when it comes to her photography process and her scrap booking process.  So go and read and enjoy!!

Pretty sounds.

I just cannot get enough of Nataly Dawn and her two man band Pomplamoose.  Her voice is amazing, and sometimes her covers are way better then the original.

And my very, very favorite......................................................................

..................

Come and say hello!

Over on The Little Red Suitcase!! I am back and with a great interview feature Michelle Sanders.  So head on over and see, plus we have a great prize!!!

 

One pet peeve......

Rub ons that don't rub on!  Ahhhhhhhhhhh, I could pull my hair when this happens.  I was working on a layout, it was coming along nicely and then I decide to add on some rub ons.  And what has happened this  time and many times before, they only transfer partly, and I am not using any cheap ones.  Oh it makes me mad!!

 
 

Another things I am having problems with is the whole process of taken pictures of my layouts, HELP!!  We hardly have any natural light in my house and outside is just snow snow snow, what should I do??  build some sort of light box or something?  

I signed up for Kelley Purkey's class "Beginnings".  This will be the first online class I take, and I am looking forward to it.  I need a little inspiration, and I dig Kelley's style.  That class starts soon(not sure of the exact date)  My mind is on Fl mode which will be happening at the end of March, so it feels like I cannot get out of that mind frame.I am also interested in Shimelle's new class, "Something from almost nothing".  This one sounds right up my alley, its for those of us with the big stash of supplies and who need that push to start using it all up.

Last week I totally purged my supplies and sent out not one BUT two big boxes busting at the seams with supplies to a charity called In My shoes.  They will use the supplies to make life books with children and young adults.  So if you have piles of stuff you are not using and need somewhere to send them to, I highly recommend this charity.

Ok back to that class(the Shimelle one), I want to start using what I have.  Its fun getting new things but to me its kinda of stressful when you have all of this new stuff and its not getting used.  I like the idea of using it, and then looking around and seeing that I am running out of supplies and need more. No more of this overwhelming crap I tell you.  My space is small enough that I have, why be over run with paper and supplies??

Now I must be off to think up ideas for a surprise birthday present for a good friend.  I am thinking something collage like and along the lines of Alice in wonderland, possibly a quote from the original story.

:)

Some pink thread!

So continuing on with that sewing machine thing, after awhile I got a tad tired of using just white thread.  I took a walk to our general store(what, do we live in the 1800's?) and I got three new spools of some good quality thread for my machine.  Lets see, I got a very light pretty robin egg blue, a light turquoise and a very bright pink.  Those were the ones my eyes were drawn to right away out of all of them.  That evening I started a new baby page for Cecilia's book and since I used a lot of neutral baby colors, I really wanted to add a pop of pink, since she is a little girl(princess dresses and all)  That is when I re-threaded my machine with the pink.

But first lets go back, way before the sewing machine thing.  For a past Creative Type challenge I made the first page for CC's book, and to tell you the truth, I despised it.

Ok, well lets see,  first of all, even though those pictures are really precious, they are way to dark.  The background kills me, I love polka dots but the colors on this one screamed pepto.  We used the masking technique which I love, but I was not 100% happy at all with how the lettering looked.  Overall, I just wanted to do a new first page for her book.

And there you have it, I like this page much better.  I used the Making Memories vintage finds Baby kit and also some Basic Grey nooks and pantry paper. And if you look close enough, I used that bright pink to sew all around the edges.  

I think that sometimes I feel bad looking at an old layout and consider making a new one to replace it.  I cannot say I feel the same anymore.    

Now back to my rainy/snowy cold day:)