Stacked Stones Studio!

I so rarely do this...but I have taken today as a TOTAL day off. I don't even feel guilty! Royce called and made breakfast -- so I went over to his house for awhile...watched the Sopranos marathon. Then I came back to the house, turned on the Law and Order Criminal Intent marathon and went into my studio. I have created quite the mess! Paint, stamps, transparencies, watercolors, rubons, glitter, ink, paper, scissors, glue and of course PHOTOs. They are everywhere. It was total play. Trying new techniques...not trying to accomplish anything...just PLAY! I did actually complete one lo...this one about my nephew. I have plans to go back into the studio in a while and use some of my new things on some other los. I will keep you posted...unless of course you are on a play day of your own -- which means you won't be showing up here anytime soon. Enjoy your day -- wherever you may play!

I have found that not sitting down to my scrapbooking table for several days leads to two things. 1. Almost a hunger to touch paper and get my hands busy on creating SOMETHING. 2. Not always the best results. However, the satisfaction of just getting to get back to it is worth not totally LOVING the results...I still managed to capture what was in my heart...and while they won't win any prizes...they are qn expression both of creativity and the love I have for the process of journaling and capturing my thoughts about life, faith and the people I love. So here are the three I have done yesterday and today. I did really enjoy working on this one about my grandfather. While I was away, I was doing a lot of journaling about following your dreams...and trusting God with them. That got me thinking about my grandpa -- GRAMPS. One of the wisest men I have ever known...smart as all get out -- deeply in love with God, a great father husband, provider, grandparent, lover of life and histo...

Hello my dear friends... For the first time during a cruise, I had a room that had a porthole in it and I LOVED it! Every time I would walk into the room I had to go see what I could see. During the daytime when we were in port -- I had views like this----> At night, the ship would have lights shining down on the water and I could see the blue and white waves as the ship sailed to our next port of call. It was really quite intriguing and fun to see. The conference went really well -- and what a blessing to get to work with Royce. We had great worship leaders (Tommy Walker, Ross Parsley, Rita Springer and Jeff Deyo) and the conferees were superb. There are some inherent challenges in organizing a conference on a ship rather than at a hotel (since there isn't a Staples just down the road to grab what you forgot)...but the benefits of relaxation and visiting different cities while staying unpacked in one room far out weigh the challenges. (OK, perhaps I should mention that that who...

I find myself fascinated with transparency these days. The kind you use on layouts like Hambly or ones I make myself...and the kind of transparency that we need in our lives with our friends and families. Perhaps it is a good thing that my fascination with the first -- led to me hearing God speak to me about the second. This layout above is one that I did to teach a class for a group of ladies whose husbands and/or sons went on the Pathfinder trip with Royce and Weston. I created a transparency to frame the picture and to make a place for the journaling. As I was working on it, I began to focus on why I liked the transparency....ok....so maybe I am becoming a bit overly analytical -- and not to take an analogy to its dying breath -- but I realized that transparency is good when it enhances the object/picture/person that you are viewing it through. Not that it makes it better...but it lends understanding or more texture or .....something. I want to be that kind of transparent perso...

Ok...first, I realize I have been a bad blogger and have been gone for two weeks and then I show up and make two posts in one day. Secondly, I KNOW this is the worst scan in the world....but it was the best my scanner would do. Thirdly, this lo owes a HUGE nod to Jenni Bowlin and Ali Edwards. Jenni has a WONDERFUL kit that she has created for National Scrapbookers' Day on Saturday -- and I couldn't help but steal her concept for my frame. Ali has a new kit called Beautiful which is sold out from Creating Keepsakes...I had to get it for the STAMPS alone...what "beautiful" handwriting her word stamps had. So together...with a little thought of my own -- I came up with this lo to honor my mom...wasn't she beautiful at 17?

Do you remember being 15? I kind of do...seems so long ago. I worked on this page for a friend of mine whose daughter made Varsity Setter this year. She is so young and althletic -- and bright and full of spark and promise. I loved this picture -- caught in mid-flight like a butterfly... with her whole life ahead of her and learning some valuable life lessons now. Time flies....