Canvas album cover

This is my newest project--a little albun with canvas covers, and thick white chipboard pages. The front cover has many layers of embellishment, starting the a layer of glimmer mist, then a rub on of a swirl pattern, a pocket made with a bingo card folded in half, some flower cut outs decorated with stickles... I especially love the wide lace bow.
This project is my interpretation of a project from the June Bad Girls Kits.

This is a scrapbook page that I did as an entry to a challenge. The challenge was to use elements of a kit and not to use a photograph. I decided to make a paper doll instead...

Loveletters book

I recently finished a project using the June Bad Girls Kit and instructions from Bad Girls owner, Wendy Rago. Wendy supplied all kinds of unusual ingredients, like hard sandable gesso, a vintage Vogue pattern, a vintage embroidered handkerchief, beautiful Prima flowers, and lots more, to make this an awesome project!

Happy Birthday, Bad Girls!

Bad Girls Kits are celebrating their second birthday today! I started getting the kits in January and LOVE the selection of goodies I've gotten each month! I recently received the July kit and it's fabulous! They can be found at: http://www.badgirlskits.com/

In addition to the kits, I have taken a couple of the great classes offered by Wendy and company--using various methods to alter and enhance photos... so much fun!

Here's one of the layouts I've done using goodies from Bad Girls and an altered photo, done with techniques learned in the class I'm taking now...

Little sweeties

I dont' see my little nieces often enough--they are all the way out in California--so it was a lot of fun to spend a day with them at Gilroy Gardens last weekend.

I'm back...

It's been a while since I have posted! Now I have so many incredible photos from a couple of days in California--first for work and then playing over the weekend with my middle son, Jon. It was so nice to be able to spend Mother's Day with him! We strolled around Filoli Gardens for much of the day--it was fabulous--so many gorgeous flowers and views...

It IS Spring!

The grass still looks winter dead, but the crocus has promised that Spring is here!

Smile dolls

Here are a few of the finished dolls that will be going to Columbia with Vineeta and the rest of her medical mission group. I'm hoping they will be bringing smile to the children that they will help during their days there.

Goodness, time flies when you are having fun! I have started a project that is very time consuming... I am making some little dolls that my daughter in law will be taking with her to Columbia next month, to give to the little patients she treats on her medical mission. The dolls are make using a series of hand-sewn gathered fabric circles, so today's photo is the basics--making lots of little circles!

Saturday lunch

A friend and I wandered yesterday... LSS, quilting fabric store, Hobby Lobby, Borders... and in between we had a great lunch at a little Mexican place. We enjoyed the murals painted on the walls as well as the food.

From my sweetie

Jim brought me beautiful flowers today...

Valentines

Ready for mailing to my children...

Saturday wanderings

After a great lunch with friends at the Parthenon in Greek Town, Chicago, we made a quick stop of the Oprah Store, just across the street from her studio. Lots of clothes with "O" on them, and some beautiful Aftrican objects, especially the baskets...

Small town charm

I had a little time to explore the little town in NJ where I ended up for work this week...

Babysitting

Yesterday evening I had fun babysitting for my great-niece.
She is almost three years old. We had fun doing some rubber stamping together, and then got out the coloring books. Everything was being colored red last night...

Promenade

Finished another scrapbook page!

Travels

I had to make a last minute trip for work to a little town in northwest New Jersey. Lots of travel delays, not much sleep, an interesting drive from the airport in Newark... I wish I could have spent more time exploring the little town, rather and working!

Sunday evening

Jim's 65th birthday is coming up on the 28th. I organized a dinner on Sunday evening to begin the celebration. Alicia, Chris and Vineeta, and Jim's sisters, Leslie and Judy were able to join us. We have a very nice dinner and Jim enjoyed being the center of attention.

Picnic anyone?

Yes, I am very tired of the snow! I dream of a nice summer barbecue!

Next Generation

My daughter, Alicia, has been planning to make a scrapbook of her photos and memorabilia from the seven months that she worked in London a few years ago. Today she came over, and I gave her a few pointers, some paper from my "collection", and other goodies, and she put together her first pages! We were both very excited.

Quilt

I'm finally getting down to scrapping some of my photos from the Jane Austen Society Annual Meeting in Chicago, October 2008. I used some of the items I recently got from Bad Girls Kits. The quilt was made by member of the Greater Chicagoland Chapter, and uses floral patterns reflective of Jane Austen's era.

Italian night

Last night, Jim and I, along with our daugher, and Jim's sister and her daughter, went to a little neighborhood restuarant for a wine and food pairing dinner. The wines were all Italian, to go along with a delicious Italian menu. We had a lot of fun!

A new dusting

It seems almost every morning these days we wake up to a new coating of the white stuff, adding to the hills that border our driveway. We haven't had any real melting for a couple of weeks.

Saying goodbye

Today was very difficult... We said goodbye to our choir director, who was diagnosed with brain cancer only four weeks ago. He directed our choir for 15 years (I have only been with the choir for two years, but there are many long time members, and they feel the loss even more deeply than I do.) Saddest of all, Chris leaves behind his wife of 3 1/2 years, his 18 month old son, and his newborn baby daughter. My heart breaks for them. Thank goodness for our faith that he is now in a good place and looking out for his family and all of us from above.

Necklace

I put the beads I made with Luanne together with a few beads from my stash. I'm pretty excited about the result!

Making beads

Last night Luanne and I spent a few hours experimenting with bead making. Luanne taught me well and we had a lot of fun creating!

Memories

Often when I travel somewhere new, I pick up a little something that will remind me of the trip... For a while it was a bear--New York, London, Paris... Then I found the wonderful little market lady in Charleston and the quilted cat in Hershey, PA...

Collections

Part of my collection at work... bits and pieces that I've collected including family photos, a few books, and little bits that my co-worker have brought back from their travels around the country and around the world. It's a few layers deep, so happy hunting!

Catching up

Here's yesterday's photo--a continuation from earlier in the week, when I took a photo of my desk at work from my point of view. This photo is from the point of view of someone walking into my office, so come on in and be my guest!

Lite work

I went to a class at Stampology this evening with my friend Jeanne. It was an easy class, using clear stamps from Penny Black--mostly just stamping and cutting and layering... very laid back with a fun group of ladies...

One kind of work...

Monday... back to work. Here's a view of where I spend my weekdays, from my side of the desk...

Putting Christmas away

Today was the day to take down the Christmas tree and put away the other Christmas decorations as well! A good day's work. I'm glad it's done.

Tunes

Today I've been doing some scrapping, completed two challenges on the PAO board, and enjoyed some great music, including downloading some of my favorite CD's to my computer and then putting them on my iPod--a Christmas gift from my children, and one that I love!

Snow, and more snow

We woke up this morning to a new coating of snow--a couple of inches--just enough to make a difficult commute to work for a lot of people. Fortunately, I have a very short drive to work.
Our neighborhood was soooo quiet when I went out this morning, and the snow plow had not been out yet. It looked like all of our neighbors were still sleeping!
Rob did manage to get on the road back to Iowa State by late morning. I miss him!

Back to work!

I got up early today and got back on my treadmill for 40 minutes! I always feel better for the day when I do that, but I really have to work hard to talk myself into getting there most days! I do have a TV set up, so I can watch the morning news while I get my work done.

Wednesday--I'm caught up!

My photo today... airport breakfast! Now doesn't that look yummy--LOL. I did try to stick with something healthy. I got up at 5:30 AM to shower, finish repacking and be ready to catch the airport shuttle at 6:30. I had an interesting conversation with the shuttle driver, and young African man. He asked where I was from and when I said Chicago, he started asking me about our current political headlines--Governor Blago in trouble, Burris not being seated in the Senate. He was trying to figure out why there was a Republican as leader of the Senate (Cheney) when the majority of the Senate is Democratic. I explained that the current Vice President serves as president of the senate, and that after Obama is inaugurated, Biden will take over as president of the senate. He seemed to find our politics really interesting.
I'm happy to be home tonight! I had all sorts of goodies waiting--my CS kit, and package of TH goodies, and most of all, my DH and DS!

Tuesday's photo

I took a couple of photos after a very long day of work on Tuesday... A rather lonely view of the hallway leading to my hotel room. I was really wishing I was home instead of there... My family was all gathered at my house, eating some food I had left for them to enjoy, and there I was, with only a phone call to connect with all of them...

Traveling for work

After an early meeting at work today, I hit the road for O'Hare, and after waiting an additional hour for my flight to leave, was finally on my way to Denver. While I was in the air, I took an "inventory" of what I needed to accomplish today, and it occurred to me that I forgot to bring my camera to take my "photo of the day". I was somewhat distress, but resolved to find a solution to the problem, so after an hour shuttle ride from the airport into downtown Denver, I checked into my hotel, put my luggage in my room, and headed out to the 16th street mall, in seach of a digital camera that can reside in my purse and therefore be available where ever I go... I did manage to find something relatively inexpensive, with 7 mp resolution. I am fighting with it to get a download though... rrrr.... I will try again tomorrow!
So, I have added my photo for Monday--my "home for a couple of nights in Denver. Just enough space to move around, do some work, and relax a bit and get ready for work on Tuesday.

Gwen's bits of life

I was inspired by the Paper Artists Online group to start this blog as a 365 project--a photo from ordinary life each day, with a little blogging on the side. I am a couple of days late it starting, but plan to keep going during 2009.

Today's photo is of a project finished yesterday--fabric this time instead of paper. I made two puppies for my two little nieces. They live in California, so I don't see them often, but I try to "help" them remember me by making them something special now and then. I found the pattern for these little guys at a quilt show in November. The pattern immediately brought back memories of sewing with my mother. It was a project she used to help me learn to sew when I was in grade school. We made "circle dolls" with scraps of fabric cut into circles and then gathered, making "yo-yo's". We strung them together and made clown dolls, with little sock heads, and donated to the church craft fair. When I told my sister about this pattern, she immediately remembered sewing endless circles! I thought this gift to my nieces would be like giving them a little something from their grandmother as well as their aunt.