Bitstrips

"So, how is the doing something creative every day resolution coming?" you ask.

(You did want to ask, didn't you?)

It's going great.

Way better than if I had resolved to do something stupid like Give Up Chocolate or Use proper grammar on my blog.

I'm continuing with my photo a day (I'll show you soon) but this weekend my baby daughter (the 19 year old) came home and showed me the bitstrips app on Facebook.  I had a ball creating my avatar (see it as my profile pic) and then I started making comic strips.  Easy, simple and yes, CREATIVE.

If you use Facebook - give it a try.

Recycle

I was correct - cleaning out my supplies did make me want to USE a bunch of them.

Ha, I had stuff I had started and TOTALLY forgotten about.  So, while the clean up is still not complete I did pause to make a couple of things.

This idea is from a project by Layle Koncar shown in the July/August 2009 Paper Crafts magazine (page 24 if you are a hoarder and still have this magazine lying around)

Here is my version of her idea:

I made them in all shades of brown and green - some torn, some stamped, some wadded up, some sponged, some embossed - my original intent was to have the RE on paper covered coasters (real recycling) but then that creates a bump that might cost extra postage and I really do intend to mail these out.  Perfect GUY birthday card - don't ya think?

Start with computer generated words then go nuts!

Her suggested inside sentiment is "It was a great age, why not reuse it?"

What a mess!

I said I was going to clean out my craft space over the weekend - well, its Wednesday and I'm still working on it.  My desk is clear, the bookshelf behind me is AWESOME and the drawers of supplies in the study are cleaned out and labeled.  I really rocked the part that is finished...

But the left to do part is about to kill me

Several containers of stuff to scrapbook and a HUGE amount of colored 12x12 paper that I can't bear to part with.

So if I mix those two problems together and shake gently - I should wind up with paper chosen for each of my future pages.  Which I will stack in my extra 12x12 drawers (from the clean out) and I'll be all ready to scrap when the mood strikes.  Reference Get a Ton Done posts HERE

Here's the update on my photo a day project

Today's word is CREATE - the pressure is on to create something besides A BIG MESS!

projects continue

Yes, I'm keeping up with my photo a day project - so far, very easy

Yes, I'm journaling with OhLife.com - not as easy, but certainly not hard

I downloaded the free trial of Stampin Ups MDS 2 and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna buy it - it gives you soooo much more flexibility and room to play.  And I LOVED plain old MDS.  Scrapbooking is about to reenter my world and it might not just be digitally 'cause... (see next sentence)

I plan on reorganizing my paper craft products this weekend - and I know that when I see some of the stuff I haven't looked at in awhile, I'll want to create.  Not sure what will come of that but certainly SOMETHING

Today I have a challenge for us (well, me and SOME of you).  Do you play Words with Friends?  Pick one of your games at random and see if you can make ONE sentence using 10 of the words

"Later, after the party, the coven entered the slum to aid the dingy dog and took a vow to help the debtor lads."  Sometimes I look at the screen and think what a funny story you could make from the words - Leave your sentence in the comments if you try it. 

See if you can make me laugh (no cheating - words must come from ONE game) 

Dilling's Diet Rule

Today's entry on our Murphy's Law calendar is Dilling's Diet Rule:

"The one thing harder than sticking to a diet is keeping quiet about it."

There is a lot of truth in humor...


But you can call me up and talk about your diet, 'cause I have learned after fifty-um-something years is that I am not an independent dieter or exerciser, so I understand your need to blab about it. Not everything is about paper crafts, right?

Its gotta be social or I'm not going to do it.  Thus Weight Watchers and group exercise classes are the right tickets for me.

I actually went out in the dark, in the cold, in the rain last night JUST to attend my exercise class.
And since I'm feeling the need to tell you that I'm sure Dillings Diet Rule has some exercise corollary...

Surprise, a punch character!

This one is a surprise to me too, 'cause this isn't the one I was working on.  This one just **POOF** appeared!

(Do you think the Inspiration Fairy and her magic wand might be lurking nearby?)

As I was sitting in my comfy chair reading the news on my ipad, with the dishes being washed automatically, the rumba vacuuming my carpet and the sprinkler system running I thought of Jane Jetson.  I might not have my own Rosie but I'm getting darn close with all my automatic gidgets and gismos.

Head - 1 3/4 circle - trimmed a little on one side
Hair - circle punches near circle holes (just try it and you'll figure it out)
Bangs - curly label next to curly label hole
Neck - old arrow punch - just use a thin strip
Collar - square cut on diagonal
Chest - second smallest thing on the build a blossom punch
Skirt - sections of a 2.5 inch circle - colors are eggplant and perfect plum
Arm - Full heart next to full heart hole
Legs - one of the next to largest build a blossom next to same hole
Eyes and mouth - circles - use what you have
Draw on face
If I forgot to list something, please forgive me - I am WAY out of practice.

All punches listed are Stampin' Up!
Don't sell them anymore so I can't tell you what is current and what isn't.

so far, so good...

Pat me on the back, 6 days of the year - 6 days of photos.  Today's topic is water so I guess I'll either drive to the lake or snap a photo of my water bottle at yoga tonight or take a pic of the dog's dish.  This would have been a much easier photo when I was on vacation....

Stumbled upon something cool yesterday and I am MAD at you all for not telling me about it.  (If you didn't know, I'll forgive you.)  It's called OhLife and it is an online journal - completely private.

I realize some of you are journalers and have been writing in your diary since you were 11 years old and had a crush on that cute little (insert appropriate name here), but not me. I always wanted to journal but never even made it to the sixth day (this would be why I'm so proud of my 6 little photos above).  But OhLife should make this easy.  

1) you TYPE in your entry - awesome for those of us who can't read our own handwriting

2) they send you an email every night and you reply to that email - that is your entry for the day

So I'm figuring that if I check my email regularly (and I do) then I can journal regularly.  I'm gonna try it anyway.  If you want to try too, check it out at OhLife.com

Photo A Day

I THINK it is going to be easy to keep my resolution to be "a little" creative each day.

I decided to take on a "photo a day" project. And this is my beginning:

Obviously, a work in progress - but the plan is to take a picture each day - FOR THE WHOLE YEAR.

I found a site that has suggestions (and I'm going to consider them REQUIREMENTS) for the photo. The creative part is deciding what to photograph for that "topic".  So far I've done: today, blue, ride and skies. 

The plan is to have one entire month per page - and any AWESOME photos that require journaling will be repeated a bit larger on the page opposite.  Cool idea huh?  Its really not too late for you to jump in with a similar project.  

With MDS from Stampin' Up! and my fantabulous new iphone with its amazerating camera, I think this is gonna be EASY and what a great way to record everyday life and common objects that we never bother to photograph!

Good news - I have a punch character partially done on my desk and hubby recognized the character so I must have a little of my mojo back.  Not ready for posting - be patient.

Happy 2013!

Hi there ladies (and very few gents)!

Anyone still reading this?

First of all, I hope your holidays were amazing!  Mine were.  Had hubby and the girls home and we got in a quick family trip...

Don't you wish you went with us?

I'm posting today because my New Year's Resolution is to be a bit creative every day.  And I know my resolve will be stronger if I am accountable to someone.  And that is where you come in...

No, I'm not going to report how many rows of crochet I completed each day, or give you a scrapbook page count  (snoozer) but I do intend to drop a little info or a little photo and probably a lot of nonsensical blather about what I'm doing on this trusty old blog because when I punched and posted regularly here - well, it brought me great joy.  Hoping to rekindle a little of that vibe.

If you're still reading, drop me a comment and tell me how you are being creative these days.  I need you to keep me fired up.  Maybe I'll even punch again one of these days...

Happy 2013!  May it bring you contentment, peace and joy...