oh my god! it's a miracle

i quasi-figured out how to use my freaking crappy scanner:

crappy scan of the middle part of a 12 x 12 layout about my quasi-step nieces and nephew.

journaling reads:

Emma: such a little grown up, a good big sister, pure joy, a future scrapper.
Jett: rubs off kisses, but is always up for a sword fight. such a boy. laughter.
Kate: sweet baby, chubby cheeks, laid back, full of beautiful smiles.




crappy scan of the top-ish part of a layout about my best friend alana. this is one of my favorite pictures of her, which was taken in spain while she was studying abroad. the letter at the bottom of the journaling says "iyq" (say it out loud to figure it out).





i quasi-figured out how to use my freaking crappy scanner:

an epiphany!

i keep complaining that i can't post my work because i don't have a camera. DUH, i have a SCANNER. wow. i can't believe it's taken me all this time to realize that. it's not 12x12 so some of my layouts will be cut out, but hey, that's better than nothing, right? SO, i know what i'll be busy doing on this fine friday night .... :) expect a post from me (assuming i can figure out how to work my scanner .... yes, i really am that technologically slow)

adventures in book binding

last night i decided that after reading a tutorial on coptic stitch binding, i should totally attempt it on my own. i improvised a bit.

cut some cereal boxes to make the front and back covers, glued on some delicious teal & copper hambly woodgrain to the printed sides of the cereal boxes.

cut & folded 5 signatures (fancy bookbinding vocab) made up of 4 sheets each of plain white drawing paper.

found a needle, and some pink & brown martah stewart twine, punched some holes through everything with the needle, and sewed em all up.

it's by no means perfect, but let me say, it's pretty damn impressive for my first shot & not using "proper" tools - to make sure everything lines up EXACT. i am not good at EXACT, even tho i'm a perfectionist - it doesn't make sense, i know.

so now i have this cute cute notebook for drawing and thoughts and project ideas.

i will take a picture of it. (or maybe i won't.)

things that occur inside my mind

i've been thinking a lot lately.

about the healing process. about creating art, making something tangible. the process. cutting paper, strokes of the paint brush. gluing, taping, stapling, sewing. making something out of nothing. making something out of everything.

i believe that art heals. i have faith in art, i have faith in the creative process.


i went to college intending to study art therapy. halfway through i got restless - i felt stuck, i felt unhappy, i felt like i needed change - and so, i made a decision to change my major. just like that. since then, i've realized this is a pattern in my life. when my depression sneaks back in to my life, i don't recognize it right away. it just feel like an itch to make change - something's not right, so i just go ahead and decide to fix something without really figuring out what needs to be fixed first. so i tend to make decisions that i might not otherwise make.

i believe in art therapy more than i believe in anything else in my life. i've been feeling so strange lately - because i'm starting to see that i should have stuck it out - i should have fought through the urge for change - i should have graduated with a degree in art therapy. it's in my blood. it's the only thing i'm sure of. art is truth. it's the only truth i know, and i'm feeling such a strong pull back to my roots. back to the one thing that makes me feel whole. i am so glad that i'm continuing to create, continuing to heal and tell my story.

but ... what do i do now? where do i go from here? what do i do "with my life"? (aside from create). i don't think i'll ever feel fulfilled in a 9 to 5. but right now, i have to find a way to make it work. i have a mortgage to pay, school loans, bills, a life to live. so boring job it is for now. for now.

i have to remember that.

this is only temporary.

alright blog world, thanks for letting me get that out. it's been a hard monday morning.

ideas! and a trip to papertales!

i was SUPER productive at work today.  and by SUPER productive, i mean, i got a lot of great house ideas.  i DESIGNED a "headboard" for our bedroom - and by headboard, i mean, it's not a headboard at all really.  it's like a shelving unit inside a frame that will be over our bed.  the way our bedroom is laid out, there's no space for a night stand next to the bed.  this is quite inconvenient, so the shelves will be great, a place to keep an alarm clock, some knick knacks, etc.  i'm gonna go to home depot this weekend and buy some wood, and then build! yey for DIY projects.  i will most definitely post pics of the process and final product (ok, i'm probably lying, considering I DON'T HAVE A CAMERA).

AFTER work, i convinced greg to go to paper tales.  i wanted to stop by since they redecorated and got in a tone of new product. seriously, love that place.  ended up leaving with two jenni bowlin papers (navy & the yellow one on the top rack in this pic that's called "victoria" ), tickets (pink brown and greyish "who where when"), and mini bingo cards (lucky, home, adore, etc), a pink paislee overlay (like the hambly's but a bit thinner), and a hambly dandelion page, as well as a chipboard accordion book and memory box. 

also today, i added quite the collection to my "flickr favorites" here's the most recent page of my faves:

1. Bedroom via pointclickhome, 2. Emma Cassi bedroom, 3. Mark Lund white floors in bedroom, 4. designpublic.dk bedroom2, 5. Carrie's apartment SATC movie, 6. White floor, bedroom, via Desire to Inspire, 7. Bedroom via Living Etc, 8. Alan Higgs pink & lime living room, 9. White, pinks, yellow via marie claire maison, 10. em's*tattoos, 11. Living room, 12. Sunny Side pillow, 13. bed, 14. The Kitchen-Kitsch cabinet in all its glory, 15. Untitled, 16. Untitled, 17. Untitled, 18. Red: Color Me Monday, 19. Ma petite chambre, 20. Grow, 21. Cole and Son Cow Parsley, 22. I collect blankets., 23. Tutorial #5 - August Means", 24. Guest Room, 25. Chair portrait, 26. jamesmerrell.co.uk, 27. creature comforts, 28. The Home of Emma Cassi, 29. The Home of Emma Cassi, 30. il_fullxfull.25399751, 31. Tutorial #2, 32. Tutorial #1, 33. from Cottage Living website, 34. from Cottage Living website, 35. Domino Mag Inspiration, 36. treats by mail

CAMERA HELP PLEASE!

ok, please please please people, help me here...

i am in DESPERATE need of buying a camera / learn how to take pictures and not simply just point and shoot and hope for the best. whether this means i need a certain kind of camera or just need to learn a few tricks (or an editing program) - i think i'm ready to learn. i seriously am so bad at technology and wish i just had a friend that was awesome and would take amazing pictures for me, but really, i should just suck it up and learn how.

SO, suggest a camera, an editing program, a photo taking tutorial - anything and everything!

THANKS YOU MY LOVES!

xox, dain

I have loved Rachel's Art Journal class. It's been nice to work on something different - and in a lot of ways it's more up my alley than traditional scrapbooking. Guess it's that inner Art Therapist in me. I wish wish wish I had a camera to take pics of the pages I've done, even though most aren't complete yet since I don't have pictures to use! It's kind of hard a)not having a camera (other than a polaroid) and b)having lost all of my pictures when my harddrive crashed. SO, i'm hoping i can borrow a camera soon so I can finish the prompts - though the ones without pictures I've finished, and I've worked on the backgrounds and journaling for those that do need pictures. She's offering up a new set of prompts - on sale now at her etsy shop, here. I'll be signing up, of course.

I finished the mini book for my sister to take to South Africa (just in time, she leaves next week!) It turned out cute. Used mostly Heather Bailey's line. Super adorable. I hope it doesn't get trashed in her travels - a little worn is ok, of course, it adds character.

I have decided that I want to look more seriously in to opening a business. Not next week, not next month, maybe not next year. But in the next 5, I'd like to open up a shop. I know I have it in me - and I know that I want so badly to create a space that mixes the things I love - art, stationery, home decorating. A little botique of beautiful accessories, artsy touches, some jewelry, some bath products perhaps. I really want my friend Carrie to do this with me - she's an interior designer and has a great eye, I think it'd be fun and rewarding. And it's just something that's in me - I've tried to run away from it, but I really know that at the end of the day I want to have a business. We'll see, it's a long long way off.

Alright for now, back to the day job - perhaps a flickr inspiration post later tonight! Need to get some color on this blog!

xox, dain

9 minutes left at work ...

caught up a little on some blogs during my lunch hour ... so sad what an effect it's had on me not read up on my lovely blog reads!

i also got a chance to print the prompts for rachel's class - so i'm determined to work on them this week. gotta get some of this creative energy out - i think i'm in a funk - can't seem to express myself lately.

today is a special day. it's mine & my boy's 6 year anniversary. crazy. i think i need to do some reflecting on the past 6 years, maybe that will inspire a layout or mini book or journal entry, or something!!!

hope you are all well. xox.

RIP dear macbook

my macbook's hardrive crashed. don't know why. it happened sometime btwn wednesday night at bedtime & thursday morning when i woke up. i lost everything. it's my own fault, i know, and i don't want to hear about it - god, i cried in the apple store. i should have had it backed up, yada yada, seriously, how many freaking people have told that to me ... i know. i know. i'm seriously devestated. it's so silly, to be so upset - but god to think about the amount of photos, documents, music - all lost. to the computer heavens. and worst of all is i haven't had internet access at home since then, and i won't for 3-5 more days, so i haven't had any chance to read blogs & work on the journal class that Miss Rachel Denbow is hosting. SO PISSED. grrrrrrrrrrr. so i'm updating from work, real quick. no blogging, no facebook, no myspace, no email at home for a few more days ... so so sad.

my new motto is "Strew Flowers In Life's Way"

today in the mail i got a free people, anthropologie & ikea catalogue. such good stuff, can't wait to cut em up and use them in some projects. love love love catalogues. 

i also was super super excited to find out i was the winner on sweet sweet sweet kate's blog, i have never ever won anything before (that i can remember at least) - so it's even more fun! plus i think she's fabulous & can't wait to see my mini.  all in all, a pretty good day indeed.  

i really need to get some ink cartridge's for my printer because i'm  totally slacking on printing pictures to scrapbook.  i haven't scrapped any actual pictures in FOREVER.  and my best friend from college is FINALLY sending me our "back and forth" scrapbook after having it for, ahem A YEAR AND A HALF.  we take turns working on it - scrapping things of us together and then also of things that occur while we're apart so we can share that part of our lives.  it's cute.  so i need to print pics to use for that, i can't wait to get it and see what she's done, i'll have to take some pictures of it to post.  love that girl, she's so amazing talented. i keep bugging her to get on flickr or get a blog.  

i ordered more polaroid film too, phew.  i need to stock up! 

rachel's art journal class starts tomorrow, so excited, definitely needing some focus & inspiration.