NaNoJouMo Day 30: Happiness is Within (LAST DAY!)

For NaNoJouMo
Day 30: Happiness is Within
8 1/2 X 11"

It's the LAST DAY...
I made it!
30 days... 30 pages!!!
Wooooooooot!

Finishing off on a colorful note...
Stenciled image and then colorful doodling.

Quote:
Realize that true happiness lies within you.
Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside.
Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving.
Reach out.
Share.
Smile.
Hug.
Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.
Og Mandino
(1923 - 1996)

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday # 130

Stop in and check everyone else out at Stamping Ground WOYWW... maybe add your own!

My desk: Messy... the usual. lol
Today is the last day of NaNoJouMo 2011, so I got up a little early to work on that.
My finished page is open.
Need to clear the decks,erm, desk... to make way for December Daily 2011,
which I'm reeeeally looking forward to starting tomorrow.

The rest of the mess, Clockwise starting on the left of my book:
Template I cut out for the NaNoJouMo page...
Dissection Kit and Microscope I'm still figuring what I want to do with in regards to my character Dr.Cooper's medical kit... they need a bit of Steampunk'in! ;O)
My poor lil' Polka Dot plant that keeps trying it's best-est to survive the avalanche of sh-tuff on my desk. Think that fighter plant needs a Mech to fight back with!
Above that... an avalanche waiting to happen. All the paper and sh-tuff from hurriedly assembling pages this past week. That will be gone within the hour! promise.
Topped by the dreaded 'list' book and my Tree Magik cards.
COFFEE!!! of course...
....aaaand the usual pens, blades and sticky stuff of creation.
And my very last dose of Tylenol Sinus. It's been a squishy face week so far and this cold should know it can feel *more* than free to bugger off at any point. please!
well, that's my Mess this week.

NaNoJouMo Day 29: How can I be my best Me?

For NaNoJouMo
Day 29: How can I be my best Me?
8 1/2 X 11"

Pages from several 'donated to art' books (mostly bunny chewed)
& scraps from DCWV scrapbook paper.

How can I be my best *Me*?
Realize that my story is still going...
Chapters close and pages turn but it's still going...
on & on...
The end is still unwritten too, even if 'they' tell me the book is closing soon.
I can enjoy each and every page NOW as I come to it...
Savor each word...
before I turn the page and not worry about what's next...
Live in the now... Now.

NaNoJouMo Day 28: Today I:

For NaNoJouMo
Day 28: Today I:
8 1/2 X 11"

Finger painted some silver then glued a sheet of white paper over top with a hole ripped in it. Collage brushes, real paint on the ends and Sharpie for the cracks.

Today I:
painted... lots! The word I choose for
2011 was "Home" and 1 of my goals was
to repair some of the physical "Scars" around
this house. From the Dog, the Boys, my Ex... a
truly healing process both visually &
emotionally... all done with a head cold to
boot... lol. Onward & Upwards.

NaNoJouMo Day 27: Have

For NaNoJouMo
Day 27: Have
8 1/2 X 11"

I *have* Markers and a book of clean, crisp, clear pages to play with... what fun!

NaNoJouMo Day 26: Recycle

For NaNoJouMo
Day 26: Recycle
8 1/2 X 11"

Bit of this and a bit of that...
Was really stoked to *make* after getting back from an all-day creative workshop Saturday.
Finger painted the green, plastered an Asian newspaper scrap over top then hit a stack of magazines to clip the rest ...and a Sharpie. :O)
My personal Mantra:
Reduce-Reuse-Redecorate!

Beastie Time! ...and news... and books...

Reporting in!

There's been no time to post any NaNoJouMo pages (they are done!) OR post about the FAB-uuuuuuu-lous workshop Arthur and I attended Saturday.
Been busy repairing some of the 'house scars'...
(Destructive 75 lb puppy, 2 children with behavioral issues, left overs from EX pre-move-out, 'nuff said...)
Plaster, Paints and Peel-n-Stick Tiles, oh my!
PLUS...
*squeee!*
My project is now in the Online Gallery at:
www.landfillart.org.
Page 10... marked *new* I'm the 3rd Cooper.
Check it out!
I can relax now, knowing for sure it arrived safe & sound. :O)

On with the FUN sh-tuff:
I snarfed this Picture Matt Ficner put together after the class:

It was such a great day!
We got to just 'play'...
While learning some tips'n'tricks to creature making along the way.
Matt is a wonderful teacher.
You *need* to check him out:
HERE
(psttt... go now, I can wait here til you get back, promise.)
He is quite the talented... everything.

Great Day:
Old-er (not old!) and New Friends, Surrounded by all manner and makings of Matt's work, Creative Juices flowing, great Workshop 'Soundtrack' and some *bonus* Puppy-Time. His 2 pooches joined us in the Studio. It was really nice having furry Muses about.
We were such keeners the critters were together an hour before the time was up... Matt was gracious enough to take us over to his house for a gander at many, many more of his fantastic creations. Arthur is still talking non-stop about this, or that... 3 days later. I think we both agree the class was a great Christmas Gift.

My hands were shaky that day so unfortunately many of the pictures I took were 'fluffy'... here are some of the better-ish ones.

Arthur working on his Beastie:

Me... Head and Hands done...

Naked Trolls! Ready for the oven.

Arthur painting his beastie....

Matt da'man furr-i-fy-ing my beastie....

My Beastie BH (Before Hat)...

Arthur's Beastie BH...

Class Photo!

Katharine & Sarah's....

Kinnexa, Arthur and Gailene's...

Kinnexa's Gary...

Bonus Pictures... lol.
Reno's if ya care.

Before:
This is the kind of damage I'm talking about:
Our 75 lb Doat (part DOG part GOAT) named Hero ATE... yes I said ATE a portion of the tiles (3 layers down!) in the bathroom.
No sign of the 'scraps' were eeeever found.
Good thing he is reeeeally cute. *le sigh*
This is with the filler drying.

After:
I did the tiles at an angle, for better gripping. Plans to strip it down to base in a year or so... just not yet. ($$) I like-y.
It's now the 'Reading Room', book themed decor and 2 shelf so far,
full of fun stuff to read.

New Light Cover... see Books!

NaNoJouMo Day 25: A Deluge of Dreams...

For NaNoJouMo

Day 25: A Deluge of Dreams...
8 1/2 X 11"
Collage and Paint.

Frozen Dream...
by: Shel Silverstein I'll take the dream I had last night And put it in my freezer, So someday long and far away When I'm an old grey geezer,
I'll take it out and thaw it out, This lovely dream I've frozen, And boil it up
and sit me down And dip my old cold toes in.

NaNoJouMo Day 24: I Am Grateful for...

For NaNoJouMo
Day 24: I Am Grateful for...
8 1/2 X 11"

Another need-to-be-quick day...
House painting and repairs underway!
I am grateful for... all the tiny creatures.
Lime Kiln Trail Chick-a-Dees...
happy to stop for a bite to eat...

NaNoJouMo Day 23: A Recipe For...

For NaNoJouMo
Day 23: A Recipe For...
8 1/2 X 11"
Time to dig out a favorite!
Illustrated with a big ol'pile of recipe cards.

Recipe For Life
-4 cups of Love
-2 cups of Loyalty
-3 cups of Forgiveness
-1 cup of Friendship
-5 spoons of Hope
-2 spoons of Tenderness
-4 quarts of Faith
-1 barrel of Laughter
Take Love and Loyalty, mix it
thoroughly with Faith.
Blend it with Tenderness,
Kindness & Understanding.
Sprinkle abundantly with
Laughter. Bake it with Sunshine.
Serve daily with Generous helpings.

NaNoJouMo Day 22: and...

For NaNoJouMo
Day 22: and...
8 1/2 X 11"
Sweet & Simple today...

AND We are living happily ever after.
...a story 20 plus years in the making...
many, many more happy chapters to go...

NaNoJouMo Day 21: Tell your Art Journal how much you love it today!

For NaNoJouMo
Day 21: Tell your Art Journal how much you love it today!
8 1/2 X 11"

Interesting prompt...
I decided the best start was to spend a few more minutes working on it today.
Dug into my used greeting card stash and pulled out some of the prettiest cards I'd been saving for something *special*. Paint base, collage of card bits... add some red heart bling and start doodling!

Dear Art Journal
I Love You!
...you help me get the pretty...
& not so pretty out...
in a pretty way.

NaNoJouMo Day 20: Really?

Fell behind in posting finished pages... again...
Being sick + PD Day to start... then finishing with a mess of looooong overdue fix-ups around the house. Today: I'm waiting on floor leveler to dry. Worse than paint I tell ya! ;o)
So I get some forced time off before I can lay the new tiles.
2 years we've been waiting to fix this floor Hero chewed up the 1st few months we had him.
That kind of long overdue.

For NaNoJouMo
Day 20: Really?
8 1/2 X 11"

Still quite sick and not feeling to 'chatty' so this was a quick one.
Thomas gets a page! Really? is one of the things he says aaaaall the time. Drives us crazee often 'cause he means he's not listened. *le sigh* but he's so cute when he says it! lol

A Year in the Life of an Art Journal: Musical Musings Oct 15th

Musical Musings Oct 15th
The PROMPT: Scars
THE SONG: Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri
PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE: rips and tearing
***********

Yeah, Yeah... Yeah... I'm *that* behind.
tooooooooooo bad! lol Better late than never. ;O)

Started with a blue paint wash to match my shawl in the picture.
The selected lyrics were printed overtop of a picture taken of me at the Mackenzie King Estate quite soon after my separation. I printed them twice... so they are slightly off and shaky (the way I felt for a long...long time). Henpecked, selecting a mix of lyric lines that spoke to me most.
Then I ripped them into strips and glued them over the paint.
Finally adding the Journaling:
almost 11 years of marriage was enough... add threatening my life, Greg's life, my parents and everyone that attended our Home-Church... putting your own children in danger...
uh-uh... We-are-DONE! You've had 2nd... 3rd... 4th chances and they are gone and done.
So are we. Move on.
We all have.

NaNoJouMo Day 19: Catch a Falling Star

For NaNoJouMo

Day 19: Catch a Falling Star
8 1/2 X 11"
Background is made up of 3 kinds of black (plain, copper & gold flake embedded) scraps of mulberry paper around 2-4" in size, all irregular shapes gesso-ed like modge-podge.
Stars are hand cut from scraps. smear of white paint to journal on and yellow star-tails were finger-painted.

NaNoJouMo Day 18: Doodle

For NaNoJouMo

Day 18: Doodle
8 1/2 X 11"

I'm sick today and it's a PD Day, so I let my son do *my* homework for a change!
The picture was cut from a shot taken at Lime Kiln of Robert jumping off a wall. Title was printed to. I added the 'zoom' marks and the 'air lift'... then Robert took over.
I think he did excellent!

A Year in the Life of an Art Journal: Musical Musings Nov 15th

THE PROMPT: Pretty

THE SONG: Fuckin' Perfect by Pink

PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE: Pink Paint Dripped like Blood

Remember, take all or parts of the prompt, and MAKE THEM YOURS!!
You don't have to use the swear words, or you can use them all you want.
That's what makes this prompt into YOUR art!
Can't wait to see what you create...
********
It has been a high pain week so my muse is muddled by meds.
Add Stomach Flu that apparently sent a viral all welcome 'twitter' PARTY style invite out, now all the other badies have come to par-taeeee in my body. ugh.
Despite my many 911-style (medication) calls the bug busting 'health-police' have yet to arrive... so the party continues.
It's also a solo-parent PD day here so just trying to keep the boyz occupied and calm-ishy. We're all working on Art Journals. Even have Robert doing *MY* NaNoJouMo homework! (sneaky mom)

Not sure if I 'like' this page... I know I don't *love* it.
Good thing I'm soooo un OCD when it comes to art, I let my muse lead...
and right now she's pretty doped.
LOL mayhaps why I grabbed the Pepto-Bismol Pink Paint?
Like it or Lump it: This is where I am right now, so this is what I made.

Font-ized part of the lyrics (easy no-draw-less-pain option),
then pasted it into my book.
Dripped the Pepto-Paint and smear it around a bit.
Last was adding some zentagle-ish doodling.

NaNoJouMo Day 17: Time for...

For NaNoJouMo

Day 17: Time for...
8 1/2 X 11"
High pain day so:
Did the 'work' on the 'puter, printed and pasted into my journal...
Finishing with a sharpie border.

NaNoJouMo Day 16: Who am I?

For NaNoJouMo

Day 16: Who am I?
8 1/2 X 11"
Collage, Collage, Collage!!!
Started with an online list of adjectives, adding and removing to personalize...
Font-ified them, printed and snipped them out.
Then I killed a glue-stick. ;O)
Finished by playing with a new sharpie.

NaNoJouMo Day 15: I love to Love you

For NaNoJouMo

NaNoJouMo Day 15: I love to Love you
8 1/2 X 11"

Base started as a clinical report on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), glimmer misted, smeared, sprayed again. Journal strips added, then smeared with paint, last strip added.
Then Journaled:
Everyone that 'knows' me knows there are 2 Sarah's 'Summer Sarah' & 'SAD Sarah'.
I AM SOLAR POWERED... I run in peak condition in the few Summer months and decline in the rest of the Seasons. I have learned to find ways to function in the winter but,
Really I LIVE in the Summer.
I crave it... I need it...
I'm so in tuned with the natural world my rhythms run in sync.

NaNoJouMo Day 14: Believe in:

For NaNoJouMo
....and finally up to date!

Day 14: Believe in:
8 1/2 X 11"

All things splendid

have been achieved

by those who dared

believe that something

inside them was

superior to circumstance.

- Bruce Barton -

Black paint background,
silhouette cut out of pattern paper then doodled on...
finally a little paint 'sleet'.

NaNoJouMo Day 13: Where do I want to be?

For NaNoJouMo
Day 13: Where do I want to be?
81/2 X 11"

Where do I want to be?
Right here... Where I am... with Him.
it has been a long and winding road to get here and here I want to stay

Photo from last years Dickinson style shoot.

NaNoJouMo Day 12: Let go of...

For NaNoJouMo
Day 12: Let go of...
8 1/2 X 11"

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned,
to accept the life that is waiting for us."
-Joseph Campbell-

(NOT Conrad)

Quick page it being Saturday and therefor Psycho busy here...
The quote came off an inspirational email, apparently they quoted the wrong peep.
Ooops!

NaNoJouMo Day 11: Why can't I?

For NaNoJouMo

Day 11: Why can't I?
8 1/2 X 11"

Why can't I... be a regular character on the
Simpsons? Because my own life is already a sitcom!
The Real kind... with Real people... in Real situations...
Mixed Family + 4 Kids + Crazy Dog + Bunny bent on World Domination = MY LIFE!

This, because I ran across 'Simpsonized' Sarah while cleaning the picture drive last week... it was just *there* begging to be used. ;O)

NaNoJouMo Day 10: Life is Beautiful

For NaNoJouMo

Day 10: Life is Beautiful
8 1/2 X 11"

Most importantly’ keep smiling,

Because life is a beautiful thing,

and there's so much to smile about.

- Marilyn Monroe -

Knew all those extra pictures taken awhile back for the 'Brady Bunch' Scrapbook page would be useful! :O)

NaNoJouMo Day 9: True Blue

Late Posting:
For NaNoJouMo.

Day 9: True Blue
8 1/2 X 11"

True Blue...
Dyed in the Wool.

I had fun with this one, had to take a side picture too.
I wrapped wool around a painted chipboard disk to make the 'Ball' of Blue Wool.
My poor Art Journal will never close again! lol

NaNoJouMo Day 8: Make a List

Prepare for several NaNoJouMo posts...
I got 'em made in time but didn't get the pictures taken til today.
I'll still post them each on their own.

Day 8: Make a List
8 1/2 X 11"

Let it go...
Let it flow...
1 day at a time.
NaNoJouMo
This month the only
'list' I'm super into is
the one that grows by 1
topic a day: NaNoJouMo!

Scrap Our Stash Design Team Page: November Recipe Challenge

I really enjoyed the Challenge this month...
At 1st wasn't sure exactly 'what' to scrapbook. Sooo much isn't done and I'm always behind. Started looking through pictures and came up with the '3', which are from *last years* family Christmas pictures (see... behind!).
These 3 went together, so...
Pictures X3: check!
Then started thinking about recipes... and food...
Remembered I had this 'Recipe of Love' Icon pinned on Pinterest. Perfect!
I printed it off at the same time as the Photos on the glossy photo paper.
The rest, had no plans for, just started and it all just kinda came together.
The 2 pattern papers are both Graphics 45 (Steampunk Debutante and Botanicabella) scraps from my cut-off stash.
Pattern Paper X2: check!
Cardstock is textured Bazzill, rubbed with a red SU! ink spot.
Cardstock X1: check!
Then I got stuck, reeeeally stuck on the 4 words.
Rummaged my stash for a few days and finally I found an idea.
Letters are Teresa Collins.
Comma is the inside of the 'a', so annoying when they don't add these to sticker sets. lol
Letters X4: check!
That left the 5 embellishments... and another day of digging. ;O)
Found a $ store sticker set I bought waaaaay back (at least 4 years ago) and it was perfect!
The right colors, theme to boot... woot!
4 stickers + black ribbon trimming out the pattern paper strips=
Embellishments X5: check!
Recipe, er... Page Done!
I took a few really close up pictures of the stickers, they're just so stinkin' cute. :O)
Glad I found them and got them used. Thank-You again for Scrap Our Stash!

Now it's your turn to take the November Recipe Challenge. You have two choices
Follow this recipe:
5 embellishments (flowers, buttons, etc)
4 words or letters in your title
3 pictures
2 pattern papers
1 solid paper
or
You can do a layout containing a recipe -
Maybe one of your family's favorite Thanksgiving dish or a family recipe.

To participate in the November Recipe Challenge - just complete a project using one of the challenges mentioned above and email a picture of your project along with a description to Scrappinpsycho@live.com
All submissions will be posted to The Scrap Our Stash blog and on November 30th a winner will be chosen, and given the opportunity to be a Guest Design Team Member for the month of January. This challenge ends at midnight central time on November 30th

Wednesday, 9 November 2011 What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 127

Please stop by and visit over at
Stamping Ground WOYWW:

HERE

Today I am cheating!
Almost the entire day was spent at my parents taking pictures...
Then back here editing and writing...
The end results are
HERE
That was my Wednesday.
:O)