Got Leggs?

Yes, this was the "grocery box" notebook I worked on last week as a birthday gift to Larcy. I really enjoyed this and had a lot of fun.


Strewn among all the blank pages are clip art .... since Larcy is into all things "Paris" I added a little bit of that to the pages. All of the items I had and didn't have to go out on a shopping trip which means I am using my "stash" - YEA....



The Louvre was stamped onto acetate and then run through Zyron machine and glued to the page. Found a little Marie sitting on the desk and slapped her on....





On Saturday, I took her gift over to her and then took Oliver and her out for dinner. We loved the ribbon I used on her bag and decided to decorate Oliver. Hmmmm, not sure if he was being patient with us or just tolerating it since he knew he could eat outside at the cafe we were going to. He is a smart little cookie.

Ribbon:

Oliver:


I am busily working on getting ready to go to a workshop this weekend call "Summer in Paris" and is a wonderful getaway! I will be taking two workshops:

1) Everyday Photography on Saturday; and

2) Caught in Canvas Journal on Sunday morning

Also have to play team tennis tonight - we were rained out last Wednesday and have to replay tonight and hopefully the called for scattered showers will stay away. Before we go, check out sign at our Reston Town Center......

Just remember my little peeps ...... NO MOKING within in 0 Feet!

Recycling in the Breeze

Hello my little buds. . . While you have been reading my dear little Alice's adventures, I have been working on creating notebooks out of all the grocery boxes I have been saving to use over the past year.... Recycle, yes, Mother Nature, I'm working on it. Last week I made a notebook for a friend of mine who had hip surgery. I had saved this cereal box knowing I would find the perfect person to give it to:

Yup, this notebook was for a man and one who is my trainer and tennis coach. Have to admit to enjoying working on this notebook. Used the back of the box for the back of the notebook, (wow what a concept)


I was lucky enough to have a nice "gold/beige" rubicoil to use. The inside pages were from a variety of places such as old notebooks no longer needed, ruled paper bought from the dollar store, old paper bought over at Nathalie's Ruby Floy Etsy Shop.

You can't recreate the "oldness" of this page, just can't do it. The stamp used is from Stamp Camp. Used some old music courtesy of Elizabeth over at Altered Book Lover. Since I have been following her great blog, I have picked up ideas from her especially using envelopes received in junk mail and bills and then reusing them......



Rooster stamp is from Stampers Anonymous, K1-862. On a trip to New York City last year, I stopped by the CBS store and picked up some "CSI" Crime Tape!

So all in all it has been a creatively productive week. I have just finished another small notebook for Larcy's birthday present and can't show it to you right now since I will be delivering it to her this evening when I take her and my nephew pup Oliver out to dinner. But I did use this wonderful "find" spotted in a parking lot yesterday when I went out for lunch!


I am feeling sorry for the person who lost it since I thinking it was from a beautiful sweater and it was very hot and muggy yesterday - but you never know. Will show you the notebook I made for Larcy tomorrow. In the meantime need to run to get ready for dinner. Have a great evening!

And then Alice was "Lost"

Here is your final edition in the saga of Alice - A Cautionary Tale..... On the photo above you can see the "tab" titles (on the back-side) that were used from 7 Gypsies Rub-Ons: "For Sale," "A True Story," "Chocking Hazard" (you gotta watch out for them bunny bones kind of like fish bones...sorry a little sick I know but couldn't resist), and "Proof." It was a really fun project to work on!

Not much more to say as we fold the book closed. I'm so happy all of you have enjoyed the journey with me and Alice. I appreciated your comments very very much. Let's just hope our lost child will once again find her way out of the rabbit hole and home.


Obviously the "waldo" rabbit did - you will note that on neither of the last two pages is he around .... he doesn't have to run away anymore. I know there is a moral here but not going there.

Do tell. * wink *

Alice - the Prodigal Returns

prod·i·gal   /ˈprɒdɪgəl/ –adjective
1. wastefully or recklessly extravagant: prodigal expenditure; 2. giving or yielding profusely; lavish (usually fol. by of or with ): prodigal of smiles; prodigal with money; 3. lavishly abundant; profuse: nature's prodigal resources.
–noun
4. a person who spends, or has spent, his or her money or substance with wasteful extravagance; spendthrift.

Well, what can you say.... the ragged little prodigal returns and does not look like a happy camper at a tea thrown in her honor. In fact the girl looks positively out of sorts. I swear while out roaming the hills and vales in Wonderland she must have met up with the girls-gone-bad Paris and Lindsay but, then again, we don't judge, oh what the heck, yes we do. Grow up girl-friend and put your big girl panties on and stop your whining.

Could be that black lace, feathers, coins rusty fun stuff that got her going. Well, let's just remember the run-on quote at the bottom of her page: "Anyone and Everyone can be loved...." hmmmmm yes, it was a "mad tea-party" in Alice's own words and once again the bunny rabbit runs away from the passion of it all.....


Enjoy your evening my little buds and buddies! And always have a smile in your heart - even for those like Alice-gone-bad! *wink*

Alice & her Domestic Disturbance

I quickly signed off the last time we were together because a storm was coming. And, boy-oh-boy, did it come. With such disturbance in the air, watch me segue into domestic disturbance. Here is Alice's Chapter 3, appropriately called "Domestic Disturbance":

On this page in the Alice saga, I literally printed out the chapter information on tissue dress pattern. A mica chip was attached on top of it and rusty elements and corrugated streamers added. And off into the sunset the butt of the Hare runs.... (or is that the butt of the joke?)

Oh the horror, oh the violence, oh the.... holy smoly, bat girl, it's a witch fight.

Yes the cat knows and you can see it in his eyes, these two were never meant to get along in this lifetime or the next. This page hosts rub-ons, ribbon, a canvas book page (PaperWhimsy digital download), green foliage, jewels, red feathers, and like what more could a girl ask for or a Queen for that matter?



Remember, this is the "evidence page" and in the lower corner you can see "My Waldo" coming upon the fight.



Run bunny run or your hare is cooked!

OH no - a HARE in my Stew - run bunny

Chapter Two: The Blue Plate Special

OK, boys and girls, hide your eyes.... it is now time to present the Antique Rabbit Stew Recipe, otherwise known as Hassenpfeffer. Yup, the little buddy had better run and not take any carrots from any little girl wearing an apron and a blue dress.

Be Strong bunny boy.... be strong. On the page above called "censored" you will see I have attached old book pages to the corners of the page, a few rub-ons. I used a canvas book page which I sewed around before gluing down on the page. This is a PaperWhimsy digital download printed out on canvas with the "center" oval cut out and a book page underneath. I also researched Rabbit Stew and added some of the recipe to the page. Add the Alice image along with a red feather! Also added some rickrack to her apron.


And of course you see the reoccurring theme of the bunny (my Waldo) running away... This post may seemed rushed and it is since we have some heavy rain storms headed our way and the computer needs to be shut down...... Sorry, my little bunnies..... stay away from cute little blond haired girlie girls. Okie Dokie? *wink*

Alice -- Chapter One, the journey

Hello, my friends, here we are today continuing Alice's sordid journey into a place called Wonderland. The Chapter today is appropriately titled"Chapter One- My Story - The Journey Begins"

One thing to keep in mind with this book is the left side of the book is used only as a "setting" page. See Rabbit Run..... Please keep in mind that you are going to see the backside of this rabbit on every page - like a "Find Waldo" game. Run baby run.... Smart Hare!

On this "setting" page we have a mica chip, masking tape, a key and a dress pattern tissue paper with rub-ons applied after it has been adhered to the page. The two Alice images are from http://www.piddix.com/.

And then we have girls and girls and more girls.Yes, girls gone wild. Yes, girls who had wishes and dreams. One thing I loved using on this page was the special Starbucks Tissue paper used one Christmas time several years ago. I absolutely loved the words: "hidden," "surprises," "elusive." I asked them last Christmas if they had it anymore (yes, I used up my stash) and they said, sadly, "no."

The tab on this page is "Field Notes" - Add some black lace, rub-ons, black feather, three images of Alice, and Tim Holtz Doo-Dads typewriter design. The book page "wishes & dreams" is from PaperWhimsy and was printed out on canvas.

As you can see in the upper left hand corner of the right hand side: Viewer Discretion Advised.... black lace and all. And of course, the elusive rabbit scurrying away...... Getting ready for dinner. Have a good evening, boys and girls.... Until the next time we meet for the Alice Supplement called "The Blue Plate Special." Yes, run rabbit run....... yum yum.....

Alice -- A Cautionary Tale

This is a continuing series in my posts called: Thanks but No Thanks. These are projects I have submitted to Stampington/Somerset Studios that were not selected for publication. Yes, I usually include postage to have the art work returned. They had Alice for quite a long time but in the end she was not selected and you know it when you read the first sentence:

"Dear Artist:
Thank you for submitting your artwork to Somerset Studio! I appreciate your creative efforts and taking the time to share your work with us. Unfortunately, we were unable to fit this particular submission into our editorial schedule. I am returning it to you with many thanks for your hard work. . . ."

I encourage everyone to submit your art work for publication - rejects are no big deal - well, OK, the very first one is but after that one, it doesn't hurt anymore! LOL. I love Alice and was surprised she was not selected. In the past I have submitted Marie Antoinette art three different times and, each time, she has been selected for publication in etiher Somerset Studio or Gallery. So I think I have a new goal here which will be to get little sickie Alice published.....


Well, I have the art work and I have the instructions which I will now share with you all. Alice was a call for submissions on the Wonderland theme. I felt that throughout the ages Alice has been portrayed in many lights. Who knows what Lewis was thinking when he wrote the tale. What the fuzz, who knows what he was thinking when he took incredible photographs of children. All one can say is he was a most enduring and perplexing man.


The small booklet celebrating Alice and her wayward ways (my take on her bizarre journey) was made from a daisyd's File Folder Keeper. I loved the keeper for the "tabs" on the right hand side. I selected to go through the story with: "Field Notes," "Censored," "Evidence," and "Passion." The clipart used in the book is from Stampington and is TJ Designs "Alice in Wonderland Collage Pack." The cover of the file folder keeper was covered with the TJ Design paper. Tear an image of Alice into three pieces, distress, and put back together in a cramped manner.


Attach a rusty ring to her face. Attach metal letters spelling her name. Punch Typewriter doo-dads" and attach, highlight with Glossy Accents. Add a rusty nail and a transparency "journal" with rusty frame and B A M - you got the cover, boys and girls.

Yes, you will see the rest of the book this week while I work on organzing. I have to add my thanks to dear Elizabeth over at the Altered Book Lover. She doesn't know it but she is my Organzing Coach - and yes, Elizabeth I'm listening: like things with like things......

my mantra... like things with like thinges.....