I'm moving

I've decided to pack up and move to a new blog...
Come visit me here, and PLEASE follow my new blog.  I have some great fun planned after the soft launch!
Atomic Venetia

Product Review- Collage Pauge

My absolute favorite collage material is Collage Pauge Instant Decoupage from Aleene's.  I picked this up one day at  Artco, which is my favorite local (5 miles or less) craft store.
If you read my Urban Grunge Heart Tutorial, you know I bought this because one day when I went they were making glass magnets in-store, and my oldest daughter adored making the project, and begged me to buy all the stuff to make them at home, which included the Collage Pauge.

I bought a 16 oz bottle over a year ago and still have plenty left, after making magnets, canvases, altered items, plaques, and more. I have been very impressed at how long this stuff lasts.

I purchased the glossy version, but it comes in a matte, and the website says there is a sparkly option as well. This dries clear, and does not have that sticky feeling that some products have even when dry.  The texture is thick, and it has a greenish purplish cast when it is wet, but that goes away after drying.  I've managed to get this stuff to stick to paper, wood, canvas, plastic, glass, and cardboard. Once dry, this is pretty durable stuff.  I can't get this off my kitchen table, which is also the craft table, and kids table, so the whole thing is pretty much a mess with stickers, collage pauge, acrylic paint, markers and whatever else. Thank goodness for tablecloths!
 I have not had problems with this bubbling, and it seems to level itself as it dries, so paper I adhere has warped wet, and then dried flat.

I had to google the lady on the front to see who she is, because I had no idea. Traci Bautista is a mixed media artist with a bright and eclectic style.  According to the Aleene's site, Traci designed the art on the bottle. 

The only caution I can give for Collage Pauge is to test any ink you are using on scrap paper before you use the medium on it, as many inks such as pens and markers are picked up by this product despite being permanent or waterproof. If you test first, you know how it will react, and what to expect in your finished product.

My overall rating: 5/5

Summer revisited... Play!

I found this Layout that I hadn't shared from summer.  It is using Authentique Lively.

The colors and patterns of the paper are perfect for the sunshiny photos of my daughters and their best friend playing in the yard.  These photos are not the most perfect shots, but I love that about them because it shows how energetic the girls are when they are playing together.

This layout was based off a sketch, I believe by Van Nguyen.  It was such a fun sketch to work with.

December Daily- Forget it!

Right now, all the scrappy blogs, message boards, and pinterest pages are filling up with ideas and pages of December Daily books.  Many kit clubs offered December Daily album supplies for upwards of $90. It seems that anywhere I look in the scrappy world, my month is going to be filled with reminders to do a December Daily. Let me state clearly, I WILL NOT be completing a December Daily this month.

I adore the holiday season.  The day after Thanksgiving, the tree is up, like clockwork. I bake cookies with my kids, give them advent calendars, help them make cards and presents to give.  Our traditions include visiting the zoo on Christmas Eve, and hosting an appetizer dinner that night.  We enjoy a family dinner with the mishmash of relatives we have accumulated through a couple of marriages apiece. The day after Christmas, the tree is immediately taken down so that my oldest daughter “feels” a break between the holiday and her birthday.  I feel like the holidays are such a whirlwind, and as much as I would like to document every wonderful moment, I can’t imagine trying to fit in the time between the holiday festivities and the mundane grind of real life that continues despite the season.

I am grateful that the lack of documentation blurs the dreary, rainy northwest days into the bright magical holiday season.  If I really think about my Decembers, I probably have 10 awesome holiday filled days and 21 uninspiring days.  I found myself thinking “Do I really want to document this?” For me, part of the magic of the holiday season it that it seems like everything is different.  Despite having to go to work, pay bills, do laundry, make dinner, go to swimming lessons, breakup sibling fights, and on and on, when I think about the holidays, time seems to mush together the regular with the merry. I suppose I could rack my brain to find the constant holiday reminders in each day, like red Starbucks cups, decorations on houses, and Christmas carols. However, I feel like there is a December Daily trap in which scrapbookers find themselves. It appears that many people are “manufacturing” magical moments to create a month of holiday activities. 

 

To me, the idea of creating moments each day of the month is about as appealing as a daily album with 21 days of the messes the kids never pick up. Making every day in December magical has to be exhausting. I suppose that is why there are lists and lists of ideas for December Daily. It seems empty to me to host activities and events to fill a 31 day album, so I’m not doing it.  I refuse to jump on the bandwagon on this one.  Instead, I’m going to continue my regular scrapbooking pattern of documenting what is important to me this season. 

 

If you’re a December Daily girl (or guy), more power to you! I look forward to seeing your creations.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the whole idea, then I give you permission to blow it off.  Your holidays will be merry no matter how many days you document!

You and Me

My oldest always will have a special piece of my heart because for a long time, it was her and I spending a lot of time alone together. We filled or days with adventure and play.

Now, I always get excited when she and I get to spend some alone time together, especially when we are working on a project, or searching for adventure.  She is such a sweet, happy soul, and I can't help but laugh spending with her.

Day 2 of Luck- Card

I wanted to make my friend a good luck card for some news she has been waiting patiently to hear. I put together this card for the occasion.

However, with me being me, I forgot to send it, and probably won't get it to her before she hears. They say that it is the thought that counts, but I am kind of wondering if that is really true in this case.

Lucky- a layout

Somehow, as the years go by, I get more and more perspective on my wonderful husband. We have been through a lot, and somehow, it still keeps getting better as time passes.

I wanted to make a layout that celebrated the warm feelings I have had lately about the direction we have taken together. I'm not saying life is perfect, but I truly have been feeling lucky each day.