DIY Postcard Swap and ICAD

I joined a postcard swap that took place last weekend. All of my cards were ready to go as soon as I had the addresses. I enjoyed making these. I didn't do anything difficult or too tedious, I just had fun with it, and when I ended up with a card I liked, that was the style I used. It didn't take that many attempts either! Next up is ICAD 2015! Starts June 1st!

Join the fun!

Works in Progress

Adding a little color to my life.

Still working on this one. Adapted from a YouTube video by 2 tiny treasures.

Fun with Mini Art Journals

I've been making these adorable little journals from just two sheets of 9x12 mixed media paper. I want a pile of them sitting in a basket where I can just grab one when I need it. For a gift or my own use, I don't care. I want lots of them, in different colors and with different designs.

I found these on YouTube. I was going through videos on my What To Watch recommendations when a picture of these adorable little mini travel art journals caught my eye. There were several more videos with different techniques and I loved them all. The artist is the very talented Jen of Eve. If you'd like to make some for yourself, give her channel a visit, Jen of Eve Designs. She also has an Etsy shop that's worth visiting.

My House of Music

I finally got all messy and made a background with my color sprays. Oh so messy and I couldn't find my barrier cream. If you use spray inks, barrier cream is a must. I use Invisible Care by EZ Air. I'm pretty sure I ordered it through Amazon. Anyway, I had fun playing and made this background that needed something. That something, I decided, was a house.

Napkin Destash!

They're all gone...sorry.

I have a stash of napkins that I hate to throw away but haven't used them in about two years. I'm pretty sure they appear in almost every journal I have, so there's no fear of my missing them. If you would like some for your journal pages they are yours for the taking. Message me on Facebook, or email me at frasier(remove this)2@verizon.net with your name, address, which napkin(s) you want and the number of each. These are free as long as postage isn't an issue. I will place as many napkins in a #10 envelope as possible.

Documented Life

I've fallen off the DLP wagon. I think I did two or three weeks since my last post and then kind of fell out of love. If a prompt tickles my fancy in the future, I'm sure I'll heed the call, but right now...not so much. The challenges I've completed:

January 10 - The Beginning is Always Today and January 17 - Georgia O'Keeffe

January 24 - Words With Friends

February 7 - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

The funny thing is that I really like the pages I've made. I think I just need to work at my own pace.

Total 10 with Dr. Oz

I've been eating a lot of food like this lately, even developed a liking for Hommus. It's been a week since I started the Total 10 Diet to break my carb and sugar habit, and I'm still alive. All those foods I thought I couldn't live without, I've managed to live without. Haven't had a carb or refined sugar in a week. No pretzels, no pasta, no doughnuts. Haven't had any dairy in a week. No ice cream, no French Vanilla Cream in my coffee. No coffee.

I've lost 5 lbs.

I don't feel bloated anymore. I'm not struggling to breathe so much when I wear my jeans, and I can zip them without sucking it in.

I actually love the berry smoothies in the morning, but it's not always easy to figure out what to eat at other times. The diet consists of a little protein and a LOT of vegetables, which I love, but geeeeez. Salads with bland vinegar and oil dressing and freezer chicken everyday are a bit much. But I've figured it out....I actually remember how to cook. Chicken Fajitas tonight and on to week 2!

DLP 2015

First day of the new year in the DLP group. Inspired by a video from Rae Missigman, I jumped into a two page spread without a care in the world.

A Facebook Journal

I finally started working on my journal for the bits and bobs I've accumulated from friends on Facebook. (I love that term..."bits and bobs", but you must say it with an English accent.)

I won a beautiful address and card book in an auction and always knew I wanted to alter it for a journal. Some of the pages have beautiful floral illustrations that I don't want to cover up, other pages can be painted or papered, but it has pockets and tabs and all kinds of goodies. When I first got it (months ago) I altered the cover in the same style as the journal I got from Yolanda Pasillas, yoliebean on YouTube. I adore that look.

The first page in the book is from a swap I did at Your Paper Pantry with Jane Bain, lizbeth601 on YouTube. She made a beautiful collage for me that I've kept in my craft corner for years. Originally it was mounted on corrugated cardboard that I had to remove for placement in the book. I think it makes the perfect first page. On the left side of this two page spread, I'll add some writing and a recipe card Jane included for apple cake!

The second page has an art postcard from Tamara LaPorte, a couple of business cards and a tag that served as a mailing label. I found a bit of lace in with my keepsakes and attached it to the edge of the page. The opposite page will have photographs of the items associated with the cards.

All in all, I think this is going to be a fun book to look back on when it's finished.

Have a good day friends! xxo

Compassion for a Stranger

I was in the lobby of a dental specialist the other day. Not just any dental specialist, but a feline dental specialist. My rescue cat, Heidi, and I were waiting for the vet to examine her mouth and determine how bad this periodontal disease really was. I was expecting the worst. The first consultation I had with another dental vet was bad...real bad. $4,000 bad. So I just sat quietly and waited.

The office was located in a building for a veterinarian specialty group. Dental, Cancer, whatever, it was a big building. I watched the dogs come and go to the other vet offices. Little dogs, big dogs, dogs dancing in circles, dogs with cones on their heads, itty bitty lap dogs and great big HUGE dogs. Heidi seemed to be the only cat until a woman sat down by me and put her carrier on the seat between us. She asked me if I had a sick kitty and I told her all we had were some dental problems....."and you"? My heart broke when she choked out the words that her 9 year old cat had kidney disease and had experienced some problems that morning. She tried desperately to speak but she was struggling so hard to keep the tears back that she couldn't. In that moment, I felt my own desperation as I grabbed her hand and held it tight. There were no more words as we held onto each others hand. Two strangers who knew nothing about each other except that we both loved cats. I could have known this woman my entire life for the compassion I felt, but I didn't even know her name. And then it was my Heidi's time to be examined. I gathered her carrier and waved a quick good-bye to the woman that had touched my heart so deeply.

This brief encounter was sad and heartbreaking, and I'll never forget it. Two strangers able to connect on a level so deep. An immediate, heartfelt connection. It was sad, it was beautiful. It reminded me how wonderful this life can be in spite of ourselves. I reached out to someone, and walked away feeling like she had given me a gift.

More Documented Life Planner Pages!

I don't know how I've managed to keep up for 6 months but I have! Whoohooo! It's actually getting easier now that I know what I'm doing and how I want to do it. I started using acrylic paint in week 24 by spreading it very thin. Like how it turns out. Acrylic and Pan Pastels seems to work for me.

Week 22

Week 23

Week 24

Week 25

ICAD - 30 Days or Bust

I'm going for it. A full 30 days of index cards. Yessiree, bob. I'm well into the 3rd week right now so I KNOW I'll make 30 days. Then I'll decide if I can go 60. So, if you're not a Facebook friend, and you haven't seen my daily offerings...this is for you, and for that linky thing that Tammy does. She's the ICAD Queen, the person in charge, the ringmaster, the boss, the big kahuna, the cheerleader, imagineer and all those other great words rolling around in my head right now. We love Tammy, and we show our love every year. You should join us!

Daisy Yellow ICAD FAQ

Every day has a prompt, but it's up to you if you want to use the prompt or not. There are also themes to choose from, or "one staple" collages, or anything you want to do. It's not about rules or working on something you don't enjoy, it's about being creative. Every day. It's fun. It's loose and free.

Day 1 - Prism

Day 2 - Circus Tent

Where?

Day 3 - Hello, my name is...

Day 4 - Puzzle

Day 5 - Galaxy

Day 6 - Nail Polish

Day 7 - Yellow

Day 8 - Mandala

Day 9 - Alphabet

Day 10 - The Beatles

Day 11 - One Staple Collage

That wasn't the prompt. It's just what I did.

Day 12 - Paisley

Day 13 - Gasp! I missed one!

Day 14 - Magenta

Day 15 - Stickers

Day 16 - Roll the Dice

Day 17 - Polka Dots

Day 18 - Orange

Day 19 - Oh no! I missed another one!

Day 20 - Candy Wrapper

Day 21 - Repeating Pattern

Documented Life Project - Weeks 20 & 21

Week 20

Week 21