it's almost time...

... to reveal this little "project" i've dreamt of and made a reality - with the help of some of my favorite girls, whom also happen to be incredibly crafty & creative. i couldn't be more excited about the team that's in place for this venture and i can't wait to see them rock it out! 


i don't want to say too much yet, except that it combines 3 of my favorite things:


1. inspiration and the freedom to create based only on artistic interpretation
2. one of my favorite forms of art - ATC's (like this set i made recently for a dear friend)

3. swapping these little goodies with fellow ATC'ers (BUT... without having to make 2165436 at once!)
every set of cards will be one-of-a kind. FABULOUS.


sound interesting? 
august 1st... that's the day. 
i'm soooooooooooo excited! :)


xo

MORE ART TO SHARE...

i seriously spend more time browsing galleries and checking out everyone else's work than doing some of my own. which kinda sucks in a way because i'm always SO INSPIRED AND READY TO CREATE after perusing everyone else's work, but i just can't break away once i get started. it's a vicious cycle. *sigh*

here's what i have to share today:

first - my Catwalk selection over @ SIStv. fellow fashionista, Larissa Albernaz, hosted a special catwalk challenge last week & this cute layout by Drinoleto was one of the entries. i love how she improvised on her title work... it gives my used packages of Thickers some hope! heh.

next - uhm... WOW. words cannot express how much i ADORE this. and the fabulous girl who made it, Tara Anderson. i mean... right? *swoon*

she created this little lovely for this week's Bad Girls Elements d'Art... where she also posted a mini tutorial on how to create the ruffly sewing pattern border and sweet little flower... which i will definitely be trying soon! if you have a moment, you must go check it out. you're welcome. ;)

so... what art have you seen that has inspired you beyond belief? please to be sharing with me, thank you. :)

xoxo

SOME ARTING HAS HAPPENED...

and i'd like to share it.

first - i have to show you these ADORABLE "country bumpkin" bracelets & headbands made by Shell Gautreaux it is my pick for this week's catwalk over at SIStv. they are a perfect combination of texture and daintiness and just overall cuteness! how fun would these be in a fall photo shoot? seriously *swoon*worthy. CONGRATULATIONS on the catwalk this week, shell! :)

and second... i did a little arting of my own.

last friday was my first Bleuprint over at Bad Girls, which was a challenge where i had to create a sketch & a layout based on a photo that i found inspiring. as i was flipping through my fall pottery barn catalog, i found it... my inspiration. and this was the result: :

i had so much fun creating this one. i think it's the "fanciest" page i've ever done. definitely one of my favorites... probably because it's fall related. i am so looking forward to seeing all the fall & winter layouts and projects out there. how about you?

"it's the most wonderful time... of the year..."

xo

IT'S OFFICIALLY ACCEPTABLE TO DRINK PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES!

happy fall 2009!
it's my all-time favorite season... where the leaves change colors and then tumble onto the ground to create a beautiful quilt of colors (fyi - palm trees and cacti don't seem to understand this concept). it's a time of shorter days & crisp fall breezes, warm & hearty home cooked meals, pumpkin patches and pumpkin pie (nom nom), silly costumes and candy corn, family gatherings and special traditions.

it's the one time of year when i feel the calmest... when routines have finally kicked in.

it's the time of year when i wished i lived somewhere other than this stinkin' desert. like in a small town in vermont. yep.

what i look forward to the most is "fall-ifying" the house. we don't really have visible seasonal changes here so i gotta make my own damn seasons. (we do finally get a break from the 115 degree temperatures, so there's that.) it may not look autumn-y outside, but it sure as heck will look like it inside. i'm hoping to begin the transformation in the coming week. i'll post some pics when it looks like a pumpkin patch in here! :)

i do have a little tradition of my own... every year on the first day of fall, i treat myself to a starbucks pumpkin spice latte and a pumpkin pastry of some sort (today, it's a pumpkin scone. delish.) not that i haven't been treating myself to those for the past 2 weeks now, but bygones.today is a special day. SO GO GET YOU ONE TOO! mmmmmmmm...

now onto some more exciting stuff...
this past weekend, we had an online SISLive event over at Scrap in Style TV that was chock full of games, tutorials & freebies, and the fashionistas did a FANTASTIC job coming up with fun and unique challenges. (i still plan on doing every single one before year's end. it will probably take me that long.)

for this week's Catwalk, we chose a layout from one of the challenges to feature and here's the one i chose:

this was created by Kimmy (lostinadream). i LOVE the color combination she used and the minimal use of embellishments but what she did use packed a powerful punch! the shiny sequins and those crystal tear drops hanging from the bow... *swoon*. CONGRATULATIONS, KIMMY!if you'd like to take a closer look at this fab LO, you will find it here.

we also thought it'd be fun to pay a little tribute and "lift" our chosen layouts because 1. they are all fantastic and 2. any excuse to art.
here's my take:

i must give a special shout out to wendi, carolyn, diana, & pat because they all contributed to this design. fabulous!

i did get a chance to participate in a challenge hosted by the uber cute jeannie lutz. this was the result:

the challenge was to lift one of the fashionistas and i chose this lovely layout by the amazing digi-goddess, divian conner . thanks for the inspiration, div! :)

and lastly... because i'm such a newbie to this whole blog business, i just recently discovered that i cannot reply to my comments via blogger (thanks for the heads up, julie!). i kinda wish i had know that before i sent out replies to everyone since the beginning of my blog. heh. if you've left a comment and haven't heard back from me, it's not because i'm ignoring you. i swear! i'm not that rude. ;)

HAVE A WONDERFUL FIRST DAY OF FALL!

GETTIN' ARTY THIS WEEKEND!

it is rare that i have an entire weekend free & clear of obligations during this time of year. normally my weekends are booked from the first weekend of august to the last weekend of january. i kid you not.
but it just so happens that this weekend, i have nothing planned.
which makes this weekend all the more exciting for me because it happens to be the weekend that Scrap In Style TV is hosting the online version of SISLive 2009!
and that means that i'm gonna be a crafting, arting, scrapping fool from friday to sunday... so nobody bother me!
unless it's to give me a gigantical iced coffee... pumpkin spice, please.

if you'd like to get in on the fun, prizes, challenges, games, tutorials, kick in the mojo... (and if you attended the live event in june, maybe re-live the good times)... you can go here for more info:

hope to see you there!

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

or in this case... "big dinners". ;)

so i was supposed to pick a winner for the "art" wall hanging yesterday but this whole long holiday weekend threw me off.
i've done it though, and here's the result using the Random.Org generator thingy:

Beth Perry said...That is a beautiful hanging!And your slide show is on crack! lolIt is going supa fast!:PB

CONGRATULATIONS BP! thanks so much for stopping by and leaving me some sweet southern love. will you please email me your address? and it is a custom-made thing so if you have any color preferences, let me know. :)
also... yes, my slide show is on crack. i figured if i'm impatient with those things, then surely everyone else must be too. HA!

thanks to everyone who left a comment on my first couple of posts and have decided to take a chance & follow this blog. it's taking me a bit of getting used to, but there will be more to come. i promise.

IN OTHER NEWS...

two things:

1.) a while back, this crazy girl asked me if i would like to be a part of her new challenge blog. i believe my response was "HELL to the YEAH!". or something like that. i knew it was going to be an awesome gig, but it's SO MUCH MORE. i get to work with some fabulous divas. i get to dig deep and discover myself through my "art". i get to be inspired by so many people. and now you can too. it's gone live and the first prompt is up! head on over to:



and challenge yourself.
here's what i did for Prompt #1:

and don't forget to check out what the rest of the team has done!

2.) i am a BAD GIRL. no, really... i am! i was honored when asked to be an Elite Artist on one of the best DTs (and kit clubs) out there, Bad Girls, founded and owned by this incredible woman & artist, Wendy Rago. i am beyond thrilled to be a part of this most inspiring team & community of artists.

so, there it is. news. and a new blog! finally... i have something worth sharing.
not a bad way to kick off September, eh? :)