WOYWW # 213

 7/2/13

Well another week gone. The year is more than half over and Christmas will be here next week At least it always seems that way after the 4th of July. I'm really enjoyng partaking in WOYWW. So this week I am working on making myself a "Heal Thyself" journal. I'm using the concept by Jenniebellie's cereal box journal; here. Jenniebellie is a true inspiration. I've been struggling with emotional and physical issues the past 5 or so years, and I have been burying my feelings for so long it is starting to effect my well being. I have always been a very happy go lucky, laid back, let's have a good time kinda girl. Not so much these days. Now there is not much I can do to heal my Chronic Pain, I also have some other health issues that are long term effects of the treatments I received for Lymphosarcoma, translated, cancer of the Lymph nodes. But my emotional baggage is something I have control over, and I can do something about. So I have made a journal, well I am still working on it, but I'm 80% done. My biggest struggle in finishing is painting the right cover. I want the image on the cover to represent what this journal will stand for. Before I share my pictures, I'd also like to share another awesome website and artist I have been following who resonates emotional healing and well being with me, Tam LaPorte, here. I have been doing her Life Book course, which I am a bit behind with, but when I am ready to, will share. Without further ado, my coffee table work desk.

I chose a bisquick box 

I glued the tabs for extra durability

Plastic-like; strengthen the spine

I also added Joint tape to the spine

My now sturdy spine

for the cover

Can you see my heart??

Paper too thin

So I added a 2nd layer

I cut a piece of canvas, stitched around it and glued it down

See all the stringy goodness

I stitched on a giant tag, and the entire signature

Stitchedon lace and down the signature;more stringy goodness

The back of a parchment style card foldes and stitched on for a pocket

All 7 signatures, with 5 sheets of card stock

Needs to be painted and signatures sewn in, measures 9-1/4x6-1/4

I apologize for the wonky spacing of the pictures. I am very techno challenged. I'm trying, but not very successfully. I have finally started figuring out how to add links, so I guess that's progress. Also, I Made it in the top 20 this week, I think I made the top 10. Yeah me!!! Hope you all enjoyed my post this week. I can't wait to see what everyone else is doing!!! Please feel free to follow me both on google and bloglovin', not only will it make me happy, I will also follow you back. Happy Hump Day!!! 

Hugs,
Kim

       

What Kind Of Flower Are You?

THIS IS WHAT KIND OF FLOWER YOU ARE

 You Are a Snapdragon

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh." (Click on the button on my side-bar, see what kind of flower you are!!)

Going's On

6/28/13

What is going on in my world:

Well, today is "National Kiss Your Pet Day". My 7 yr old Boxer Bruiser was more than happy to oblige me while trying to pin him down for a photo op. My other Boxer Adella who is 10, is a bit more excitable and harder to get a picture of. Plus her breath is less than desirable. I also have an 18 yr old Terrier mix who is senile and would nip at me if I tried loving on her. Yes, you read that right, she is 18. I think she was a cat or a Phoenix in her past life, because there have been several occasions in the past 2 yrs where we thought for sure it was the end, and she bounced back every time. Her name is Bessie and we adopted her from a kill shelter. She was 5 at the time and she was on doggie death row, and when we saw she literally had 24 hrs to be adopted, we stepped in and brought her home. I was 6 months pregnant with Gidget at the time, she is now 13. Bessie has been absolutely a wonderful dog. We spoil our dogs more than our kids. :0

Adella

Bruiser Napping with Daddy

Bruiser the Intellectual

Bessie

Giving Mommy hugs

My son Michael went camping with his girlfriend Heathers family this weekend. They are camping up in Warrior Creek,NC. It is Western NC in the Yadkin River Valley. Hopefully they aren't getting the thunderstorms we have rolling through right now. 

Heather & Michael

I'm also playing around with some new technique's, and art supplies. I just got an order from dickblick.com I got some Caran d'Ache Neo Color II's, some new Derwent pencils, Golden Matte Medium, and Golden Fluid Acrylics. I also ordered 22x30 sheets of Fabriano 140 lb coldpress Watercolor sheets, which haven't arrived yet. I'm using the sheets to make Teesha Moore's 16 page journals.

Here is the link for part 1; http://youtu.be/1z6qmXGRrsE?t=8s and the link for part 2;

http://youtu.be/1vvSsJ39bc0. These 16 page journals are super easy and can be used for Valerie Jodin's journals. Valerie's journals are absolutely beautiful. I really urge you to check out her blog and see all her journals, http://visualblessings.blogspot.com.

One of the techniques I learned from Valerie is to put down Matte Medium before putting down my Golden fluids. This is especially helpful when using a quality heavy watercolor paper. It keeps the paint from being absorbed by the paper too quickly, and it allows for you to move the paint around easier. I drew my doodle Peacock bigger and with less doodle. My Derwent Inktense pencils also worked well on the Golden Matte Medium. It's not quite finished. This is done on a 9x12 piece of Strathmore 140lb hot-press watercolor paper.

My Peacock

Well that's about all for now. We are having one big ole' thunderstorm thunderstorm and the power has already gone out once. So I am going to finish this up before I end up losing the whole post.
Remember to "KISS YOUR PET". Hope you all have a great weekend. (((HUGS)))

Blessings,
Kim

WOYWW & SOC WKS # 2 & 3

6/26/13

So it's been a crazy not so crazy week. I'm most definitely behind on my SOC challenge, and way way behind on the ICAD challenge.
In the SOC challenge I have week 2 done, just not posted. I'm also just about done with week 3. I'll probably just post both weeks at the same time.

As for the ICAD challenge, I have no idea how far behind I am. That's how behind I really am. Though I plan to get as close to caught up as I can this weekend.
I'm also going to work on my Embellished Edges journal for the Embellished Edges mini class I am doing with Valerie Jodin at visualblessings.blogspot.com. Valerie is truly talented. The class is only $15 and is self paced. It is a mini course, therefore the lessons are short. I urge you to check out Valerie's work on her blog.

In the last week my daughter Gidget had Champ Camp. All the Champion level dancers got brand new choreographed dances. They had Sean B. who came across the pond from Letter Kenny, Ireland to teach them their new dances. In 6 days Gidget probably spent about 20 + hours at dance. Her poor feet are covered in blisters, her muscles ache, and she is completely wiped out. Even so, she has not stopped smiling. She is actually quite sad that camp is over. (I think there is a lesson in there somewhere) 

Outside of carpooling for camp, (the dance studio is 38 miles from my house) I have not ventured much from the house. Besides the 90 degree humid weather, I have been struggling a lot with my pain levels. Coupled with insomnia, I haven't exactly been motivated to do much of anything. Thus leaving me very frustrated with myself, because I am not a fan of whining, and that's what I am doing right now is whining. I really could have it so much worse. 

Well without further ado, here is my WOYWW (http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com), and my SOC challenge, weeks 2 & 3. I have to add, that I really struggled with the wk 3 color combos. I think a) because we did green in week #1, b) I had trouble getting my Gelli prints to cooperate, and c) my colors really came out muddy this week. I added some stamping and doodling to my prints for both wks # 2 & 3. (I haven't finished my beads yet, I need to finish rolling them.)

Also my work desk is really just my coffee table, which is in much need of a good painting. The house we are currently leasing is small, with very little work and storage space, and my supplies have slowly begun to take over my entire downstairs. Throw in my not so great organizational skills, and…well you get the picture.
Enjoy!!! 

WOYWW

WOYWW

SOC wk #2

WOYWW

SOC wk #3

WOYWW

SOC wk #2(everyone LOVES a Hersey Bar)

SOC wk #3

SOC wk #3

SOC wk #3

SOC wk #3

SOC wk #3

SOC wk #3

SOC wk #2

SOC wk #2

SOC wk #2

Summer Of Color Week #1

6/16/13

Well the end of week #1 is at a close, and I am getting my color challenge done at the last minute. Well not entirely true, I have been working on my project for a few days. I'm just getting it posted last minute.
The color challenge for the first week is Turquoise & Citron Green. I'm not exactly sure my colors  are a spot on match, but I worked with what I have. I spent the first few days in quiet contemplation deciding what sort of project I wanted to do. Well quiet contemplation isn't how I'd describe my thought process. It's just with the vast amount of choices I was undecidedly torn on what I wanted to do.
What I finally decided on is to make a journal using Gelli prints. I'm also making beads from foil and paper to embellish with.Each week I will pick 4-6 prints in the weekly colors, with beads in the same color scheme to bind and embellish into a journal as the final project. Here are my choices for week #1;

Painted sheet of aluminum folk

painted with Liquitex and Galerria acrylics, & Gesso

The beads so far, still need some more work.

 I'm also working on my drawing skills, which I might add are not all that great, but with practice I hope will make somewhat perfect. I sketched out a girl that I will incorporate into the final journal piece. So I drew a young girl, and made her shirt Turquoise and Citron Green using my Derwent Inktense pencils, I just LOVE LOVE LOVE my Inktense pencils and blocks. I'd like to add one thing about my girl. Her face isn't properly shaded, one, I'm not sure what I'm doing, ( would love some advice in this area…PLEASE!!!), two, I don't have all the proper colors for creating skin tone. I have a few, so there again, if anyone wants to take my pitiful self on and give me shading and color skin tone 101, I'm all ears. Well without further ado, her is my nameless girl.

The last picture I took without a flash to see if it would darken the picture, it did that and gave it a bunch of new tones. This is done on a 1920's dictionary page in Inktense pencils. I hope y'all like her. She is beginning to grow on me.
So there you have it, Week # 1 Citron Green And Turquoise. I feel like a little kid nearing Christmas, waiting to see what the Poll results reveal. I hope you like where I'm going with this SOC Challenge. I'm excited to see what everyone else comes up with. 
I would like to add if this is your 1st time here, please feel free to look around, or leave a comment. You can also email me if you have any questions. I would be most excited if you would become a new follower. I will follow you in return. Looking forward to getting to know some or all of you.
HAPPY CREATING!!!!!
Kim
P.S. I'd also like to share my sweet granddaughter Kaya, she is 3-1/2 and is a pistol. She usually doesn't like her picture taken, but every once in a while she'll let you get one.

The Switch to Bloglovin'

6/13/13
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5062973/?claim=yp3mh9nn2qu">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>


Well I've decided to join in and jump ship from Google Reader to Bloglovin'. If you haven't yet signed yourself up, pop on over to bloglovin.com and join. It's actually wonderful. 
How it works; I get a daily post from bloglovin that shows posts from my favorite blogs, it runs as one post, showing each individual blog, each one has a quick description of the post content, so I can decide if I want to read more. I can also post a comment quickly and easily right from bloglovin. It's rather nice being able to do this all from one page without having to hop from blog to blog. 
It is also very simple to switch everything over from Google Reader to Bloglovin, this way you can keep all of subscriptions from Google Reader. You simply click on this link: http://www.bloglovin.com/import/reader, it will bring you to this prompt,

you then click on the blue bar, choose your google address if you have more than one. (I have 5 gmail addresses, so I checked each one.) After a few minutes, like magic, all my subscriptions in Google Reader are now on my bloglovin' account.

Then to find my blog I clicked on the downward arrow by the little heart in the browser and clicked my blog in which this screen pops up; It says MY BLOG, you type your blogs name in and hit search, it will then give you a html code to put on your blog, which you see below, and then I just need to hit Publish. (and hope it works)

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So I'm rather Techno challenged, and hope I explained that switch well enough. If not feel free to ask me any further questions, or just read it over on bloglovin. It is all really easy. The old adage"If I can do it, so can you", truly applies in this situation. When I say I am Techno challenged, I am a get frustrated easily, scream and spit, and mumble @#*& and *%#$@ out loud. Bloglovin has made the switch easy. 
Hope to see you there very very soon.

Blessings All,
Kim