Life: Pick your own

This one is oil pastels. Doing this totally transported me back to elementary school where we had the little student box of Pro-Art oil pastels. Funny enough, but when I went to the one and only craft store in town, that was all they had available. Works for me! (Someday I'll move past fruit...) Thanks to Kal's OP tiplet.

Also made another little album for a friend's baby shower (she knows it is a boy). A fold-out page for each month's photo (up to 1 year) and lots of space inside the fold-outs for journaling. Again, used Lain's basic formula, although this one is a bit larger to hold 4x6 pics.

Lazy day

I'm going to join the dog today :) Enjoy your day.

Flowers and NAPP and Macaroni

Remember these flowers? I submitted this photo of them into my NAPP portfolio this week and it was selected as an Editor's Choice. Always so cool to be selected as the quality of photos is astounding. Makes me strive to always learn more, push more, try more.

I just HAD to go to the craft store today, Shade needed posterboard. Really there was no other reason that I would ever go into a craft store. Some watercolors may have just happened to land in my cart. I forgot how passionately I felt about cerulean blue, alizarin orange, cadmium red, veridian green and yellow ochre. Just rolling their names off my tongue makes me feel funny inside. I may just fondle them for awhile.

YOU - yes you - go make something. Be it dinner, a baby, a painting or a macaroni necklace. Put yourself out there.

Lain's Album

My friend Lain had directions for a cute little album on her blog. Her's was meant for all those wallet-size photos that come in the photo packages that you just can't give/throw away. I thought it would make a perfect mini gift album (thus mine aren't finished with photos or a title yet). It is also a great way to use some of that stash that you just HAD to have, but now can't find a use for. I'm famous for NEEDING more patterned paper than is humanly possible to use, and then never using the majority of it. My variation has 7 pages, plus a front and back cover and by slicing 1/2" off the long side of a standard 3.5" x 5" photo, this album will hold between 7 and a whopping 28 photos. Plus, thanks to the fold-out pages, there is ample room for journaling (less photos=more journaling, more photos=less journaling, duh.) The best part? You only need 20 minutes, 3 sheets of patterned or solid cardstock, a hole punch, and a scrap of ribbon. Of course, you can always embellish way more if you want! See Lain's directions here.

A couple LOs and responses

A couple new LOs to share. Digi products from Scrapgirls, DigitalDesignEssentials, DesignerDigitals and 2Peas. If you ever want to know what something specific is, please feel free to ask. I keep great records but am kinda lazy at typing it all out here. (And am totally appreciative of the great products available now!)

I had wonderfully nice comments and emails about the pear watercolor. Thank you! Patty asked what I used to make the black lines so crisp. It was just a Pilot Extra Fine Ball Pen. I used it to do the actual sketch first, and then went over the lines again afterwards. I really love that graphic definition of the black scribbly lines with the color. One of my favorite parts of watercolor paintings - the pencil lines you can see underneath - I just didn't have a pencil handy. And Patty, thanks for asking - you have beautiful work up on your blog, I was so glad to discover it!

Melanie, I'll have to think about it, but I am honored you asked! I'll let you know first!