Rusty Pickle, again ;)

Just can't keep me from that Rusty Pickle!

I really thought that creativity and going up for the October Rusty Pickle Challenge was not going to be an option after all that was happening family-wise recently.

But then that Rusty Pickle Panama Jack paper just kept calling to me! Combine great papers with a class I've been preparing for in November.. and tada! You get a nice blend of both:

Journal Jar ala mode!


My Favorite Dish!

Generous Slices of LIFE!
*The photo is a stack of my journals served up on a plate.

The Recipe:
(the hang tag on the side of the jar)



The Supplies:

Rusty Pickle Panama Jack:
RP Sun Yer Buns
RP No Shoes, No Problem
RP Paradise
RP Tequila Sunrise
RP Sail Away
RP Margaritaville
RP Blue Alpha Stickers
RP Tag Set
Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Basic Grey bling-it
SEI Epoxy Alpha stickers
Ultra fine point black Sharpie
Misc beads, twine and other bling crystals



I, ever the recycler, have used an empty Costco-sized jar for my Journal Jar. And, since you can't really have a journal jar without a journal... I've taken a plain old .50 cent notebook from the local school supply store, covered it with more Rusty Pickle Panama Jack, then just add an adorable and functional beaded bookmark and it's done!

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If you are interested....

The "Preserving Your Story" Class in November:


I was asked to present a beginning basics of scrapbooking class by a co-worker. When I found out that the other class that night will be on canning, well, I thought to myself - best of both worlds - how about canning (preserving) your memories!

The best way to start preserving your own stories is to start writing them. And what is more appealing than writing in a fun and creative way, or in other words, the scrapper's way!

Easy, fun, creative and definitely a gift-worthy project - that is if you can bear to give it up! I presonally recommend making more than one!


For the class, after a little presentation on supplies, basic needs and ideas, I will be showing 3 versions of Journal Jars:

1- A Basic version - of which I'll have pre-cut peel and stick labels all ready for them to stick on the canning or recycled jars I've asked them to bring.

2- A Medium version - a spruced up version of the peel and stick basic jar, it's got ribbons and flowers added.


3- The 'All hands on deck' version - yeh, you guessed it, the one shown above! ...hey, they have to know what's possible ;)

I am also giving everyone a notebook. After they choose from some pre-cut coordinating papers they will get a chance to put everything together. My goal is to keep this whole thing SHORT and EASY. I want to be helpful, but not intimidating to new scrappers.


After the class I will send them emails with a 10 page list of questions to print out, cut and put in the jars. It's a free class, so I've got to control costs somehow!

Have fun!

p.s. I totally Googled for a whole range of Journal Jar ideas and Journal Jar questions - if you want my collection of questions - just leave me a post - I'm sure we can figure out a way to get them to you too.

Printable Documents
Preserve Your Story - Scrapbook Basics document
3x5 Journal Jar Recipe card

This is addicting...

I feel very grateful and humbled to have been selected as the Rusty Pickle Sketch winner again.

(Rusty Pickle Blog Sept. announcement) (click here to see the October ideas!!!)

I see the other talent out there and I feel so lucky to have been picked.

So, THANK YOU. This means a lot to me - especially this week.

..... I'm a little scatter-brained right now

Those of you that know me IRL, will know that my sister-in-law (my husband's only sister) died tragically yesterday. We are holding on, holding it in and trying to get through the next few days. For some reason we think that if we can keep it together long enough for the funeral to be taken care of, then maybe we'll be able to keep holding on afterwards. It's a tough situation and one that I would not wish on anyone.

I might add that this brings me to one of my main reasons to scrap - to hold onto memories, to capture the feelings and keep them close and visible. When my boys were teenagers I thought they would be the death of me. It was really tough, raising 2 incredible, but still very challenging boys along with a 2 year old. I tell ya, you get NO sleep between the Teen schedule and the Toddler schedule. Scrapping those feelings, frustrations and hopes was what saved me.

My main regret with Becky is that I don't have those memories for her. We seemed to have drifted apart, got busy with our lives and just taken a lot for granted. I thought we had years still. Now we don't. Now she's gone.

Sorry to go on and on. I guess I just want to say to everyone - hug your loved ones, call someone you've not talked to for a while, mend fences and if you like to scrap - well - keep the memories alive with your art.

Another Sketch Challenge from Rusty Pickle

Oh, how late it is! I just kept going until all of a sudden... it was almost midnight! Yikes.

I decided to challenge myself with the September Rusty Pickle Sketch Challenge.









My brain started going all it's different ways and before I knew it I was creating a layered mini Acrylic album from the sketch!

(find the sketch here )


The idea that is behind this mini book is an old memory I have, hence the 70's-looking papers and the worn and distressed look. Ha, it's not just the age of the memory I'm bringing out with the papers, it's also a little pun on wrinkling and aging! I never can resist some little tidbit that if someone really looks closely at my pages they will see that there is nothing done by chance...

ANYWAY... When I was seven and riding the bus to school every day, I would sit there and think my seven year old thoughts to myself. One day I was thinking that if everyone had to get wrinkles when they got old, I'd make sure that mine were LAUGH LINES, and that would be okay.

Silly seven year old! Anyway - the photos are of me at age 7, 25 and 40.


Supplies used:

Rusty Pickle Candy Land
Rusty Pickle Rock Star
Rusty Pickle Pashima alpha stickers
Zig Markers
Scrapworks Acrylic Album
misc. ribbon and bling
... oh, almost forgot I painted with some Tim Holtz Daubers

I'm floored!

I think I should let contests inspire me more often!

Check this out:

http://rustypickle.typepad.com/picklelicious/2009/08/august-sketch-winner.html

 (a bigger photo than what I posted earlier...)

p.s. Rusty Pickle has LONG been a favorite paper line of mine, I know I'll drool over every last item they create - They just do it right ya know? I'm excited to be going to the Expo in another week, oops, that's probably 2 weeks from today - yikes, I'm ants-in-the-pants-itching to spend some creative time again and it's rather disappointing to realize it's still 2 weeks away :(

Rusty Pickle August Challenge

Time to get back to 'playing' - well, now that I've got time while Lex is in school -



- I always did feel the creative bug bite around the same time the kids started school each year!

August Sneak - Rusty Pickle!

Rusty Pickle, oh, Rusty Pickle. Not only is it one of my most favorite of paper companies, but this Mayflower line is the perfect paper for a LO that's been in my heart for a while now, I was just waiting for the perfect paper, and here it is!

Hope you enjoy...



Liberty

(using sandpaper on embossed paper strips, the words are...)

This is it
This is why
Liberty