ScArY ATC's

I LOVE scary movies...I am not sure if it is the thrill of the chase, the will to stay alive or the ways that they try to outsmart the bad guys...but if it causes you to turn your head...peek, scream or jump...I have to see it! I am a member of Splitcoast Stampers and host and join swaps on a pretty regular basis. I recently joined a "Frightening Films" ATC Swap hosted by Darkest Dreams. I chose to do ATC's from two of the movies that creep me out the most- the SAW movies and Jeepers Creepers. I stitched the outer edge of the SAW card to give it greater effect...If you've seen amy of the movies, I bet some of those people wished they could have stitched their parts back on! I just learned to scan on my pc this evening and haven't figured out how to send them to my picasa program to make them larger. The wording at the bottom of the Jeepers Creepers ATC says "What's Eating You?" and the SAW card says "Every puzzle has its pieces" and "Yes... there will be blood". I also added Crystal Effects to Jigsaw's eyes so they look like real puppet eyes! Oh yeah, one last thing...don't forget to tuck the covers around you tonight! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

G-Girl and Shea...

I love this girl! This is Jenny, mother of Sadie Francis and one of my best friends. We met at work a long time ago when we applied, and were accepted, into the same department. My friend Judy was the supervisor at that time and she has the kind of voice that is soothing when she reads to you (she would make a GREAT children's storyteller). Anyway...Jenny and I started dozing and nodding off during that "fun-time adventure" of being read policies & procedures for an hour. This was forever and fondly known as "the running of the bulls" from that moment on. Jenny is a doodler by nature. During staff meetings, on the phone, etc...she doodles in notebook margins. She drew a bull dozing off with some zzzzz's coming out of a thought bubble. I thought we were going to laugh so hard we would pee our pants! I was the Wedding Coordinator at her wedding to Eric (or Erk, as I lovingly call him!)and was "Aunt Shannon" the whole time she was pregnant for Sadie. So you might say, we have adopted each other into our hearts and into our collective families. I call her G-Girl or Jennaaayy (like from Forrest Gump) and she calls me Shea. Jenny is only one of three friends that I can spill my guts to...bear my soul...cry...scream...curse...be loud with and no matter what...she still loves me anyway and does not label me, like the world tends to do. I am not too loud, too outgoing or too anything for her...when I am with Jenny, I am just right! :)

Early Summer Mornings & Volleyball Conditioning...

I just LOVE this picture of my youngest daughter. She altered it with Picasa. I LOVE the saturation tool on Picasa, and am growing quite fond of the whole photo altering concept. This picture was taken last year right before the Volley for the Cure game at the High School. Paige played Middle School Volleyball for the school team and this summer has to get up and go to the High School (she will be a freshman this fall-yikes!) for Volleyball Conditioning. A mini form of "bootcamp"...and then it's off to the YMCA Day Camp, where she is an L.I.T.(Leader-in-training) to become a C.I.T (Counselore-in-training) and then later on, that probably will be her summer job while she goes to college...being a Camp Counselor (unless she goes away to college)...but that is too far off for my brain to comprehend. I am having a hard enough time wondering where the time went, as my oldest daughter will graduate college this fall with a degree in Nursing and my BABY will be going off to High School!! Later this summer it's Volleyball Camp and in early August (before school starts) they will have Volleyball try-outs for the 2009-2010 LV High School team. I hope she makes it...as it's the love of the sport that keeps her waking up each morning and heading off into the heat and humidity of the day.

Chunky Books..Coffee..and an old tv show...

We "cropped" last night...I worked on an altered round chunky Love, Elsie book that I got on clearance at the Lobby of Hobby yesterday for $2.81!- what a steal!! I love, love, love Elsie Flanagan's style...papers, embellishments, etc...so when I found this book marked down, right beside an Acrylic book that had been marked down from $12.00 to $4.80, I bought them both. I have covered the Love, Elsie book with striped magenta/pink paper on the outside,and on the inside white pages I took Tim Holtz's Distressed Inks and just made designs with ink as I smeared them along the outer edges and across the pages. I am not sure what I am going to do with this book yet- but it is now ready for whatever might inspire me! I am also going to work on a coffee cup project that I saw in "Outstanding Mini Albums"...I love coffee...coffee houses.. the whole aromatic atmosphere and vibe...so it should be pretty easy to create that one...all I will have to do is take a trip to Caribou Coffee and check out the menu for some creative inspiration. The moose that is Caribou's logo/mascot reminds me of a tv show that I used to watch all the time~Northern Exposure. I loved that show...I wish they would air re-runs at some point. Oh well...a trip to Caribou (the only Starbucks we have is inside of our Kroger store..and that is just NOT the same as it being a separate store!)...later today will no doubt prove to be inspiring....I'll let you know how it turns out.

Peace Out...

Other Books Recently Purchased...

I took some of the other books that I purchased on Amazon to work to look at the other day. Some of them are really great...I tend to buy books strickly by the title at times and sometimes that has left me slightly disappointed, but mostly it turns out to be a very cool and sometimes wonderfully surprising thing!

Some of my most recent purchases include:

Travel Scrapbooks
When Life Gives You Lemons
Your Scrapbook Your Story
Imperfect Lives
Mixed-Media Journals
Our Family Scrapbooks
Mini Albums
Exhibition 36
1000 Artist Trading Cards
1000 Artist Journal Pages
Taking Flight

I host a scrapbook/mixed-media/beading...."whatever you want to bring with you to work on" gathering once a month at our church, and plan to bring along several of these books, along with my Wreck this Journal~(that I haven't opened in a while)...for some MEGA inspiration. I have several ATC's that I have to finish and mail this weekend...one is due in Canada by July 7th, so it should arrive right on time and the others are US, so they will be a few days early. I have to finish "frightening films"- Saw & Jeepers Creepers, Bette Paige/Vintage Pin-Ups, Love, Seasons, Occasions (I picked retirement because I wish I was some days!)...and I want to start working on an altered book that I started painting and gessoing at the last "get together". I think I will take pictures of it now (empty) and then in stages as I get each "layer" put on. I'm not sure what it will wind up being, as I generally let the art take over the project...but since our trip to the Holocaust Museum (which I will write about soon)...I have been somewhat obsessed and can't get the horrors and atrocities out of my head. Maybe writing about it will help me somehow...but I doubt it will ever help me to understand why....

Creativeness Continues....

You Are Highly Colorful

You are intensely alive and very passionate. You are optimistic about the world and about people. You feel very connected to others, and you tend to be a harmonizing force. You are vibrant and receptive. You are ready for whatever the world has to offer you.

The Watercolor Test

Secrets....shhhhh!!!

Well...I just LOVE books!
And I just got my last of 6 shipments from Amazon.com the other day. I order like this probably 2 times a year and call it my treat to me! One of the books I purchased is called The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women- a portable mentor by Gail McMeekin. It features interviews with 45 women such as: Sarah Ban Breathnach (Simple Abundance books and Foundation), Sigrid Olsen (International Fashion Design Firm), Christina Pickles (Emmy award winning actress and screenwriter), Marilou Awiakta(Cherokee/Appalachian poet,writer, activist and author), Michelle Cassou(Artist,Painter and co-founder of The Painting Experience Studio)...and many others.

Here are the "secrets":

* Acknowledging Your Creative Self
* Honoring Your Inspirations
* Following Your Fascinations
* Surrendering to Creative Cycles
* Committing to Self-Focus
* Conquering Saboteurs
* Consulting with Guides (for me this will be God and mentors)
* Selecting Empowering Partnerships and Alliances
* Transcending Rejections and Roadblocks
* Living in Abundance with Positive Priorities
* Subtracting Serenity Stealers
* Planning to Achieve Your Goals

This book is supposed to help engage your creativity, Master your challenges as a creative woman and actualize creative results.

I tend to glean what I need or what stands up in accordance with my faith beliefs, so I will let you know how it goes! I believe that the God of our Universe is a VERY creative Spirit indeed...I mean, just look at the trees, the clouds, the flowers, our children, etc...how can you now be inspired to be creative? It's everywhere we look!

Blessings,

Shannon

Busy....Busy....Busy

Just wanted to check in so you all knew I was still alive and breathing! :)

Busy with work...softball games...YMCA Day Camp...Volleyball Conditioning....Summer Vacation...sleepovers...birthday parties...weddings...etc...etc...etc...

Have been busy re-organizing my creative space at home and making recipe, ATC, and Card Swaps on Split Coast too. This weekend, or sometime soon, I am going to ask my friend Ellen to show me how to scan on our new Printer/Copier/Scanner (which has been on my "to do" list for a while now!).

Donnie has been healthy and has NOT had to go back to the hospital for any extended stays (PRAISE THE LORD!!!!)....so he is just trying to stay hydrated, because when you have Short Bowel Snydrome and you are on TPN, you have to make sure that you do what you can to insure that your electrolytes don't get out of whack!

I miss my SBS gals and promise to try to post at least once a week...I will add this to my "List" and make sure that I get back in the blogging swing.

Love to All,

Shannon