This week - CHECK!

I'm a NEXT LEVEL procrastinator. As I've told you, I believe this is actually the dirty little secret behind incredibly productive people. We waste zero time faffing around before something is due and just do it at the last possible second, thereby being both incredibly efficient and leaving ourselves time to look at baby goats.

However, there's one particular kind of procrastination that I do that I wish I could stop doing.

I procrastinate things that make me uncomfortable.

Phone calls. Emails I don't want to send. Unpleasant expenses I just need to deal with. FOLDING LAUNDRY.

I consider this malignant procrastination, as opposed to the benign, even benevolent procrastination I do with blog posts and YouTube videos, because I know I'd be a happier person if I just DID the stupid stuff I don't want to do. When I'm doing the other procrastinated stuff, I'm super happy, because I love it - I just don't like doing stuff in advance of when it's due.

So I wish there was a little device I could zap myself with when this feeling comes over me and forces me to delay something dumb and inconsequential.

And I really love checking things off my list, so all the more reason to just do it.

That's actually what inspired today's card, which is for one of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges.

I bought this background stamp a year or two ago, and have had this card in my head for a while. My zentangling, geometric heart loves the possibilities of a grid. It's actually a gene in my family. My dad was obsessed with graph paper, and so are my siblings. That delightful order is very compelling.

I colored the grids with my fun mini pens while watching TV - I colored ten of these one night, in all different ways. Fun, satisfying and easy. The layering word die is this one. Since this is something I say a lot, it's a must for me.

What are you up to this weekend? I'm still catching up a bit on things, but I'm hoping for a lunch out with my niece and some planning for my upcoming retreat in October. It's October 24-27 and it's $450. Extra nights are $75 apiece, and the retreat days include all meals and eight classes, as well as pillow gifts, goodie bags and prizes.

Want to come?

Fill out this form to be placed on the waiting list!

And two notable sales this weekend!

Stamp-n-Storage is having a 10% off storewide sale! You will need to click here and then use my code: FRIENDS19 to enjoy the discount. 

And Gina is having a HUGE sale - 20% off for back to school. Click here and use code SCHOOL20 - and I highly recommend the Electro pop inks.

Loveyameanitbye.

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The Smallest Things

I was thinking the other day that it's time for another book purge. I've slowly been really getting rid of MOST of the books in our house over the last few years.

Don't freak out - I know I have a lot of book fiends that follow me - this is not the end of the world. And I'm not pitching them into a bonfire or anything. Just breathe. They'll go live at the book farm we know and love called Half Price Books.

I just don't like clutter, and I'm trying to have less of it OUTSIDE my studio, and books are something we just have too much of right now.

Also, I've transitioned to audio books and Kindle books - more audio than Kindle. Reading makes me sleepy now, and I don't have a lot of time to read, so I can listen to as many books as I used to read while I'm on my daily walks. I can still hear the birds chirping over the book, and I just find it relaxing.

So I made a pass through the house this weekend gathering up the non-sacred titles - just mysteries and things I'll never read again.

But every time I do this I enjoy seeing all the ones I'll NEVER part with. All my Russian writers, Orwell, Saramago and Garcia-Marquez, Carroll, Tolkien, Rowling.

And while I believe it was probably Swimmy that launched my love of reading, or Little Blue and Little Yellow, there's one series that will always be on my shelf and that's the Herriot series - All Creatures Great and Small and the rest. I read them probably twenty times starting at about age 10.

I've always loved all creatures, and I wanted to be a vet until I read these books and learned that it's not all a walk in the park. Besides never wanting to shove my arm up a cow's butt, I couldn't take all the tragedy. I could more easily work in a profession where people are keeling over every day than I could a place where one pet was likely to die.

But I loved these books, and laughed and cried every time I read them.

He had such a great outlook on life and death, and the simplicity of the country setting always appealed to me. He was such a kind man, and as a friend often says - the world could use more kindness. I think he expressed better than anyone else ever has just what it feels like to be a true animal lover.

My pre-order came today and I thought about him when I took out two stamp sets together - so my first card with new catalog goodies was literally a split-second design choice. The kitty is from Sitting Here, and the sentiment is from a GORGEOUS set I love - Layering Love. The sentiments are beautiful! You will love them - you can see them in June. This kitty reminds me of my friend Ellie's cat Opie, who I got to snuggle in Phoenix in January.

I stamped the kitty on the card base and then again on marker paper in Memento. Then I colored him with Copics, cut him out and glued him on top of the stamped kitty, after coloring a little shadow. The reason I did all that was because I wanted his whiskers to show.

So there you have it - a clean & simple sneak peek for you. I did this card for a little pre-order challenge with some friends - can't wait to see what they do. We'll be using some of the same stamp sets.

Hope you're having a good week!

Loveyameanitbye.

I Hereby Resolve...

I resolve to CRAFT MORE in 2013.

2012 got away from me. In a HUGE way. It was a very busy year at work, and I felt physically unorganized in my space, which I'm slowly fixing. That, more than anything else, keeps me from spontaneous crafting and playing in challenges.

So here I am in front of God, Grumpy Cat and everyone saying that I won't let that happen in lucky 13.

I actually started today.

I did something I've SO wanted to do for so long - Trudy's Eggshell Mosaic technique. It's so beautiful and vivid and I eat a lot of eggs, so it's sort of the perfect craft storm.

I will say - you need to have patience cleaning the eggs. It's not a Cinderella moment that goes quickly with the help of bluebirds - but it's SO worth it!

I created this little panel for an exhibit for the Austin Fiber Artists Challenge Group - our challenge was to create ANYTHING that had a little dash of indigo in it.

Hello - have you met me?

But before I put it in its final home for the exhibit, I had to see what it looked like on a card!

That awesome greeting is from Feel Goods - which you should see in your Spring Mini by now. I LOVE that set. Holla if you NEED it. :)

The panel contains three things I love: blue, orange, and a signature - the one shell I left white, in the Navajo "flaw" style that lets the bad spirits out of your art. I've always been fascinated by that, since humans aren't perfect - and neither is our art.

The Navajos believe in the Greek maxim "Nothing to excess " believing that overdoing a thing brings bad luck as an offense to the spirits. For the same reason nothing must be too perfect. A rug or basket design with a solid border must have a break in it or flaw to let the spirit of the maker, who has spent so much time and energy, escape. It is natural that things which bring one a livelihood should also have some restrictions.  (Source)

So I composed the mosaic on Basic Black cardstock with white eggshells and gloss Mod Podge.  Then after the Mod Podge was dry, I dropped Sail Boat Blue and Terra Cotta Adirondack Alcohol Inks where I wanted them. Be cautious - the ink travels, and you'll get used to how far it will go without getting muddy.

After that dried, I spritzed it with Gold Glow Smooch Spritz - my fave spray ever - and sealed it with more Mod Podge.

OH - and the most important step. Before doing any of this, I glued the Basic Black panel to a piece of SU chipboard that comes with our Designer Series Papers - this kept the piece from warping while I was applying all the wet mediums to it - it was perfectly straight the whole time.

For the final exhibit piece, I constructed a frame using black chopsticks - remember my chopstick book? - and black twine. Then I wrapped that with a piece of black waffle paper and attached the mosaic.

If I get a pic of all of our pieces put together - they'll all be mounted to a big strip of fabric - I'll share it with you!

But now, in the spirit of this week's Ways To Use It challenge that inspired me - tell me what YOU hereby resolve!

Loveyameanitbye

A Doctor WHOop. :)

It's weird, I know - blogging about a show I've never seen.

But Dr. Who is swirling around among all my friends, tempting me into being lazy over the holidays and trying to start watching it.

There are so many friends posting about it that I'm actually familiar with some of the terms and the iconography, like the TARDIS, which fascinates me.

Mostly it fascinates me because I keep calling it a phone booth when it's not - apparently it's a police box, whatever that means. But even MORE fascinating is that it is a deep, beautiful blue.

So how, when I got to pre-order Feeling Sentimental from the Sale-A-Bration catalog, was I supposed to resist turning this stamp into a Who-fest card????

I do not have the strength to resist things like this, my people!

Also, I can already tell I have to send this card to my friend Laurie, who is more than a little bit of the inspiration for it.

I stamped the TARDIS on watercolor paper and then watercolored it with Brilliant Blue and Pacific Point. After it was dry, I covered it with Crystal Effects. I printed the sentiment :). The super fancy and sassy cloud embossing folder in the background is also from the upcoming spring mini.

I noticed on a google image search that the sassy blue box is always flying through space so clouds seemed appropriate.

I guess I have a few weeks I could try to get addicted to this show.

But when Downton Abbey starts back up it's all over, no matter what.

So please, in the meantime, keep calm and who on. Because John Bates is going to preempt your police box, I assure you.

Loveyameanitbye.

Simple is Good, Especially in December

I think we all get sort of CAS at the holidays, just because of the frantic pace of life.

I had my monthly class this weekend and I kept the projects simple so as not to add to the holiday stress!

For one of Saturday's class projects, I CASE'd a card I saw on Splitcoast by one of my favorite paper artists - Karen Dunbrook - just substituting products I already owned. She has an absolutely amazing design sense and I think I click the "favorite" button on every one.

Here's how you make it.

• Cut a card base and a 4" x 1.5" strip from Whisper White cardstock. You'll also need a scrap for punching that is 1.5" wide and at least 3" tall..
• Using a Stampin' Sponge, cover the strip with Tempting Turquoise ink. 
• Using a Sponge Dauber, add a little Wisteria Wonder ink as desired.
• Fill your Stampin' Spritzer with water, and holding 12" away from the sponged strip, lightly spray with water. You just want droplets, don't soak the paper. One or two light spritzes will give you the snow texture. Set aside to dry, or dry using the heat tool. 
• Using a scrap of Whisper White, punch the two trees using the Merry Minis punch pack. 
• Using the 2.5" Circle Punch, punch a curve for the hill from the same scrap - the width of the strip is 1.5" so it will fit perfectly. Glue hill and trees to colored strip using Mono Multi. 
• Glue strip to card and stamp "Merry" from Snowflake Soiree in Midnight Muse ink. 
• Using the Essentials Piercing Pack Template and a piercing tool, pierce the card base (don't forget to open your card first :) ) along the left and top sides of the strip. 

Your cards don't have to be complicated to be beautiful. Just add a simple technique like the watercolor snow to make a big impact!

I hope your holidays are both merry & bright!

I have an ornament class this weekend, my January class is on January 5th, and don't forget - you can get $235 worth of goodies for only $99 when you purchase the starter kit, including a full color family of ink pads free through December 16th.

Loveyameanitbye.

Be as Gracious as you are Passionate

I borrowed that title from a Facebook friend.

I was in Whole Foods yesterday, having abandoned all domestic duties for several weeks, and feeling the need to produce something for dinner other than a bag of almonds. Not that anyone really should complain about a bag of almonds - they DO make you smarter.

I had my heart set on making my spectacularly fantastic chicken enchiladas suiza, which requires Mexican crema.

There are only a few things I make that are made from my soul and not a recipe - my Irish beef stew, salsa and guacamole. Everything else is precisely controlled by my Virgo personality, and there are no deviations allowed. 

So when I say the recipe requires crema - I mean do NOT try to foist sour cream off on me, or I swear I will cut you. 

Well I get to my retail church - Whole Foods, and head for the dairy section, where two girls were stocking and strategizing. I looked around for a while and didn't find the crema, so I asked one of them if they sold it. One girl tells me she doesn't think so, because sales are sort of hit and miss on it, but that she will check. She calls someone and walks with me to the sour cream section to see if it's there. Strikeout on both counts, and she says she's sorry. No biggie - I'll stop by HEB on the way home. 

So I finish up the expedition, with all sorts of crazy things jumping into my cart, like my new favorite dessert in the whole world - Hail Merry coconut macaroons - and I make my way to the checkout.

I'm all done, paid and about to walk out the door when a guy runs up to me and says "Wait - were you looking for crema?" Surprised, I tell him I was, and he hands me a jar of locally made table cream and starts telling me all about the farmer that produced it and how he thinks I'll like it. He asks me what I'm making and I tell him, and he tells me this will be perfect. He gives it to me for no charge and asks me to come back and let them know how I like it. 

I was completely astonished. 

Whole Foods has great service - but this was just amazing. I had been gone from the dairy section for 15 minutes, and clearly the girl that helped me had been talking to someone about me not finding what I wanted, and in that amount of time, this fella goes and gets something, finds me and gives it to me for free.

That, my friends, is both passionate AND gracious. A tough combo to pull off. 

We should all work on that. 

Speaking of passionate, I had a little fun this week catching up on Hope You Can Cling To Challenges with Libby's "kissing" challenge. I kissed my Christmas Deer (inked in Pool Party) with the border stamp from Pendant Park inked in Poppy Parade, and then continued that motif behind him. I love these two colors together, and I think his stripe makes him look like he's wearing a fun, preppy deer Christmas sweater :).

You have till 11:59 tonight to upload your challenge cards and be eligible for our prizes so I hope you do get to play in at least one!

In the meantime, especially since we've just had an election and people are exhausted from it, no matter what side you're on - remember to be as gracious as you are passionate.

Loveyameanitbye.