Resolutions have never been my strength. They tend to be monster-sized goals that seize your attention for a few weeks until your best friend says to you, as you're carrying your gym bag out to the car with the greenest of green smoothies, there is a super sale at (you fill in the blank) and we will need humungous lattes to survive the rush. Resolutions can be behemoths if you let them.
But resolutions really are simply goals; we just tend to make them at a critical time when the world is bellowing sentiment of new beginnings and fresh starts. Therefore we often take a reasonable, probably meaningful, goal and turn the little critter into a mountain of an accomplishment.
With that said, I have made two "resolutions" this year (I have many goals but two of which I really want to be mindful): (1) Organize better so that I may (2) spend more time with family and friends. The first resolution may surprise those of you who know me. I am quite the organized person. Everything has a home and events and activities are always well planned and prepared. What I need is a schedule.
I read this article (Here’s What You Should Do Instead Of Making New Year’s Resolutions It’s called a “rememberlutions” jar and it’ll make you feel good all year) posted by Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine and decided to, in addition to my two resolutions, celebrate the smaller resolution successes as they come as well as all of the magnificent things, memories and accomplishments over the next twelve months by creating my own rememberlutions jar.
That coupled with our design team inspiration, I was off to the races.
I created a pendant for each of the four seasons of the year so that I have something to look forward to at the end of each season as the jar turns.
winter:
spring:
summer:
autumn:
And here they are all together and assembled:
Whether you create resolutions this year or a rememberlutions jar, do what makes you feel good, makes you giggle and smile and let's you celebrate you all year long.
I'm entering my rememberlutions jar in the Sweet Stampin Challenge: New, Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #8: Something New for the New Year and Anything But A Card Challenge New Beginnings. The rememberlutions jar is a new project created for the new year.
Oooooh-la-la this post is l-a-t-e! By a month at least. It seems that I have found a trend in my posting and it isn't pretty. Good thing New Year's is fast approaching; I can be assured I will not struggle with coming up with enough resolutions. First one was a pilot to test out the waters: I resolved to not be cold this winter. So far, so good and I am definitely gaining resolution-making confidence. Second resolution: plan out my crafting a bit better. I need to balance out the commitments and plan better. I'll keep you updated on how my resolutions are coming along. Third resolution: Follow through with following up. I should throw in a: don't-take-on-more-than-you-can-chew resolution but that would mean before December even hits I already have four resolutions. I should pace myself.
I had a blast making this double-sided Halloween tag for our Halloween tag swap. Theme: New Orleans. I wanted continuity between the two sides and so the cobbled path on the bottom of side one matches up to the cobbled path on side two as does the fence. F-U-N spells Halloween in New Orleans.
I wanted the haunted house stamped image to be a mix of colour and black & white; vintage meets retro colour. I kept the tag to three main colours: orange (all time fav colour), purple and green and accented the colours with stickles. The background was painted using distress ink (pumice stone).
Here's a close-up of the pumice mixed media cobbled path. I decorated the fence with sequins and sprayed tag side one using dylusions (picket fence) and both the shattered and halloween text stencils.
Tag side two highlights our zombie/day of the dead friend who may have left his haunted house to party New Orleans-style at the Haunted Chateau which is in the cemetery. The forest was created using dylusions (picket fence) spray and a forest stencil.
I added a day of the dead face to mr. zombie (stampers anonymous zombie dancer) with a wiggle mechanism so mr. zombie really does boogie. He was painted using distress inks (peeled paint,seedless preserves, tea dye).
The rats in the cemetery image is actually not a stamp but an embossing folder that I inked. I'm not much of an embossing folder user, however, I do have an unexplainable number of folders and I often take a bunch out at the beginning of each project hoping that one will find its way into my work. And really they do not. I was adamant about using the rats in the cemetery folder for this tag swap and as I often do, I thought how the folder would make a much better stamp than a folder et voila! the background embossed stamp was born. Not revolutionary but effective.
Some folks do Christmas in July; maybe Halloween in November will start to trend. Just when you thought it was over and all that was left was a memory and some caramel chews you visit everything she touches for a little reminder of our favourite spooky holiday.
Boo.
Autumn has a quiet obscure elegance as the days get noticeably shorter, the colours change and the weather becomes crisp and sharp. Many people love the change from the heat of summer to Autumn. Although writers and poets associate fall with human decline in vitality and the decent toward death; the falling leaves and the slow demise of nature as it prepares for its final days (hmm a little dreary dear), there is also a newness related to Autumn. New pencils, new school clothes, new classrooms, new teachers and some new classmates and the invigorating air brings a freshness and sense of innovation (that's more like it).
I both love and fear Autumn. I love the colours, Halloween and cozy socks. However, I also feel great dismay for the pending winter. Although born in Canada I cannot seem to make my body or mind accept winter as a positive season. No matter how hard I try, thoughts of ice and -30 temperatures do not equal yay, good times. Somehow this year Edmonton has been given a reprieve from an early winter. Each day that the highs are greater than -15 are a cause for celebration. I can feel my friends in Ontario and Montréal cringing. It's a dry -15 which is the east equivalent of -5. Trust me. You can still visit after October 1st.
I am entering my Autumn layout in three challenges this month:
1. Berry 71 Bleu November challenge: Change is beautiful and
2. Happy Accidents and Turning Leaves for Anything But a Card Challenge #29: Fall into Fall
3. Ladybug Crafts November Challenge: Autumn Colours
Alex, mr. everythingshetouches and I along with some friends spent a warm and fun-filled September day at the corn maze last year. Alex and his friend E. started the merriment with a number of jumps from the top of the haystack. I am saving the photos of Alex and E. for a separate layout so stay tuned (and I need permission from E's mom to share his photo with you). Alex loved the freedom and silliness of the straw as it came loose from the barrels and I was surprised that the scratchy texture did not phase him as he tossed it in the air and let it fall all over him. The middle photo is my favourite of the three and I'm so happy that I was able to capture the moment.
I found the leaves and berries at one of the dollar stores in town. Dollar stores have really improved their stock over the years and a little ingenuity and some imagination does not hurt either.
The berries were attached to the corrugated cardboard with a little raw, unmixed and exposed gel medium. I wanted the layout to have a little edge and authentic feel. An Autumn raw crisp feeling. The Recollections: Tattered and Worn cardstock was cut, distressed with vintage photo and layered on top of gel medium/copper acrylic paint with brick stencil. I adore the way this corner turned out. The colours, the lines and the textures really came together.
Using one of my favourite masks: so happy, memories with you, cherished moments I sprayed calypso teal Ranger Dylusions Ink Spray to create an added dimension.
I attached a part of the Pink Paislee treasures cardstock to the background of the layout and added a bit of Gesso for interest and layering. Layered behind the photos is more corrugated cardboard, playing cards and painted/gel mediumed brick stencil.
My goodness. I just took an inventory in my head of all the layouts I have to catch up on. I wish I could say I am only one year behind but that is hardly the reality. The good news is I do not have to wonder what I should be doing next.
Thank you for stopping by and peak in again soon.
